Cessna 550 Citation Bravo Carrying Singer Rey Vaqueiro Overruns Runway and Catches Fire at Parelhas Airport, Brazil

A Cessna 550 Citation Bravo, registration PP-WMO, carrying Brazilian singer Rey Vaqueiro and seven others overran the runway while landing at Parelhas Airport in Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil, in the early hours of Sunday, September 13. The aircraft caught fire after the excursion, with both engines reported to have been engulfed in flames.

Firefighters battled the blaze for approximately five hours before bringing it under control. All eight people on board — six passengers and two crew members — evacuated the aircraft. Some occupants sustained minor injuries, but no serious injuries were reported.

Runway excursions during landing are among the more common categories of business-jet incidents, and outcomes typically hinge on how quickly occupants can exit once the aircraft stops moving. Here, all eight people aboard the Cessna 550 Citation Bravo got clear despite the post-excursion fire, which is the outcome evacuation procedures and cabin design are meant to produce.

The five-hour firefighting effort points to the demands smaller regional airports face when a fire involves both engines of a business jet. Investigators will need to establish what caused the aircraft to run past the runway end before any pattern involving the type, the airport, or the crew can be assessed. Confirmation of the cause from Brazilian aviation authorities is the next milestone that would clarify whether this was a runway-condition, approach, or mechanical factor.