Shocking video emerges of father drinking bottle of beer while his 11-year-old son flies their private jet – as police investigate if it happened just before fatal crash
- Garon Maia, 42, and his 11-year-old son, Francisco Maia, were killed in a plane crash on July 29
- Now Brazilian authorities are investigating whether the elder Maia allowed his son to fly the plane on the day of the accident, as a video shows him operating it
- Garon Maia’s wife and the boy’s stepmother, Ana Pridonik, shot themselves hours after the funeral on Tuesday.
A disturbing video shows the moment a father allowed his 11-year-old son to fly his private jet – while taking a sip of beer – shortly before the two died in a crash.
Authorities in Brazil are now investigating whether the incident happened before they died in the fatal plunge.
Garon Maia, 42, a Brazilian farmer, and his Francisco Maia, 11, died after the twin-engine Beechcraft Baron 58 crashed on July 29 in a forest between the states of Rondônia and Mato Grosso.
It is unclear when the video in question was posted by Garon Maia on his social media networks
You can see him sitting in the copilot’s seat instructing Francisco Maia on how to operate the plane as it speeds down the dirt runway.
Francisco Maia (pictured) was taken in by his father, Garon Maia, who piloted a twin-engined Beechcraft Baron 58. Both died after the plane crashed into a forest in the Brazilian state of Rondônia on Saturday. Authorities are investigating whether the boy was piloting the plane prior to the accident
Brazilian farmer Garon Maia (right) and his son Francisco Maia (left) died in a plane crash on Saturday
Following the funeral of Garon Maia (left) and his son on Tuesday, his wife and the child’s stepmother, Ana Pridonik (right), was found with an alleged self-inflicted gunshot wound in the couple’s home and was rushed to a local hospitalized where she died
“Wait, everything ready? Nothing in front, okay. Come on, 600 horses, you can push. 600 Kikao, go,” he says. ‘Good lady. Hand on the handle, hand on the handle. Hold your hand there and watch the speed.’
Moments later, Garon Maia is seen drinking a beer and asks his son, “The passenger can have one, right Kiko?”
The elderly Maia flew away from a family farm in the Rondônia town of Nova Conquista and then stopped at an airport in Vilhena to refuel, a farm worker told Brazilian outlet G1.
He planned to fly his son back to Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, where he lives with his mother and attends school.
The plane took off at 5:50 p.m., crashed eight minutes later and then disappeared from radar, authorities said.
“The plane crashed very close to the plowed land, it didn’t have time to land,” said the worker.
Garon Maia filmed himself drinking a beer from the co-pilot’s seat while his son was flying the plane. Brazilian authorities are investigating whether he allowed his son to fly the plane before they crashed
Authorities were able to locate the plane wreckage on Sunday, a day after the twin-engine plane crashed
Garon Maia with his wife, Ana Pridonik, who committed suicide hours after being buried with his son
Rescue workers searched the area on Saturday and were able to locate the bodies on Sunday.
Garon Maia and Francisco Maia were buried on Tuesday.
His wife, Ana Pridonik, 27, was found in the couple’s bedroom after allegedly shooting herself after the funeral. She was rushed to a local hospital, where she died.
The Air Accident Prevention Research Center is investigating the cause of the crash.
Under Brazilian law, to fly an aircraft, a person must be over 18 years old, have a high school diploma, and be registered with the National Civil Aviation Agency.