An ultralight aircraft towing an advertising banner crashed into the sea off Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana beach on Saturday afternoon, killing the pilot, Brazilian authorities confirmed.
The aircraft, identified as a Cessna 170A (tail number PT-AGB) operated by the Visual Propaganda Aérea advertising company, plunged nose-first into the water around 12:30 local time.
Firefighters and rescue teams deployed Jet Skis, boats, divers, aerial support and sonar equipment to search the area for wreckage and any potential additional victims. The pilot’s body was recovered and sent for identification, while Brazil’s air force has launched an investigation into the cause of the accident.
Today, Brazil. A Cessna 170 [PT-AGB] crashed in Copacabana. Sole pilot aboard died. Local media reported flight was for “advertising” (not specified if it was “banner towing”) and this was the first time the pilot was doing this sort of operation. pic.twitter.com/501tFbzlzJ
— Air Safety #OTD by Francisco Cunha (@OnDisasters) December 27, 2025
Cara que loucura esse avião caindo hoje em Copacabana. Infelizmente o piloto não sobreviveu. pic.twitter.com/XtrF9xgXGO
— HB (@henriq_barbosa) December 27, 2025