Pilot Killed as Robinson R44 Crashes and Burns in Pomerode Pasture

Overview

• A privately owned Robinson R44 crashed into a pasture in the Testo Central neighborhood of Pomerode on Thursday, May 21, 2026, igniting on impact and killing the sole occupant.
• Rescue crews located a high‑tension tower broken about 400 meters from the burning wreck, and firefighters say a collision with power lines is a leading line of inquiry.
• The pilot was identified as 71‑year‑old entrepreneur Hans Ulrich Frank, the aircraft’s owner since 2014, whose body was found carbonized after firefighters extinguished the blaze.
• Official records show the helicopter’s Certificado de Verificação de Aeronavegabilidade expired in August 2024, a lapse that would make its operation prohibited under ANAC rules and could have legal consequences.
• CENIPA is conducting the technical investigation on site while Polícia Científica handles victim identification, and investigators will examine wreckage, maintenance records, infrastructure damage and weather factors; the aircraft also has a prior crash on record from 2012 that investigators note as background.