- By Shivangi Sharma
- Wed, 17 Sep 2025 03:44 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
An Australian pilot has died after his plane crashed in Brazil while carrying a large cocaine shipment disguised with fake SpaceX branding. The accident occurred on September 14 off Coruripe, a city about 500km north of Salvador. The single-engine plane crashed almost immediately after lifting off from a rural airstrip, into a sugarcane plantation.
The pilot, Timothy James Clark, 46, died instantly on impact. Clark was a retired Qantas pilot with more than 20 years of flight experience. He had no one with him on board.
Cocaine In SpaceX Wrapping
Police discovered 180kg of cocaine within the wreckage. The drugs were inside parcels labeled with the SpaceX logo, seemingly to conceal their contents. Mato Grosso Civil Police and Brazil's Federal Police are conducting the investigation into the crash. Officials believe the flight belonged to an international organized network of drug trafficking. The plane was equipped with additional fuel tanks, which indicates it was ready for a lengthy trip.
Suspicious Aircraft
The aircraft was registered in Zambia but had been operating in Brazil for at least two years. Investigators said no flight records were available, raising further questions about its activities.
Clark’s background has added a twist to the case. He was an Australian businessman from Melbourne who had worked in mining and aviation. His LinkedIn profile highlighted his expertise in corporate jet operations in Australia, New Zealand, and Southeast Asia. Reports also suggest he had worked as a contractor for SpaceX.
Wreckage And Recovery
Photos and videos shared on social media show the wreckage lying upside down, with the plane’s blue tail visible among crushed sugarcane. Packages of cocaine were later taken to the Integrated Public Security Centre in Coruripe.
Police have not confirmed where the plane took off from or its intended destination. Officials said Alagoas state may have been used as a stopover point on a wider drug trafficking route. Investigators are also examining whether Clark had knowledge of air corridors within Brazil.
“The investigation will continue to deepen the facts and identify the owner of the illicit material, through the opening of a police inquiry,” the Federal Police said in a statement.