An abandoned aircraft at the Ibitinga aeroclub in São Paulo, which landed without authorization, was found to be using a false registration number that belonged to a former Airbus.
A light aircraft was abandoned at the Ibitinga aeroclub in São Paulo after making an unauthorized landing on Saturday afternoon (14). Authorities discovered that the aircraft was using a registration prefix, PT-MVP, which had previously belonged to an Airbus A330/200 that was operated by TAM Linhas Aéreas in Brazil from 2008 to 2014. This prefix is no longer valid as it was cancelled when the aircraft was sold to the Irish company AerCap and exported, preventing it from being reused on another aircraft.
The aircraft that landed in Ibitinga was not an Airbus but rather a Cessna 210N Centurion II, a single-engine aircraft capable of carrying up to six people. This discrepancy raises questions about the motives behind the usage of a false registration prefix, suggesting possible unlawful intentions related to aircraft operations in Brazil. The civil aviation authorities are likely to investigate the incident to determine the full circumstances surrounding the unauthorized landing.
LATAM Airlines, which merged with TAM in 2016, clarified that even though the prefix had belonged to a previously operated aircraft, the aircraft now identified in Ibitinga did not correspond to any legitimate aviation records. This situation could potentially highlight issues related to aircraft registration practices and the enforcement of regulations designed to track aviation assets in Brazil, which is crucial for ensuring airspace safety and security.
