The flight, operated by a Boeing 737-300 aircraft, left Porto Velho to Rio de Janeiro, making stops in Brasília, Goiânia and Belo Horizonte.

[4][5][2] Raimundo Nonato Alves da Conceição, who was from a poor family and had recently lost his job, decided to punish the person he thought responsible for the bad situation he and the country were going through: the then President of the Republic, José Sarney, launching an airplane against the Planalto Palace, where the Presidential Office is located.

At the time, X-ray machines and metal detectors were not used to check baggage at Confins Airport, which allowed free passage of the passenger.

[5][7] While attempting to answer Cindacta's radio response, First Officer Salvador Evangelista was shot by the hijacker and died instantly.

The hijacker even demanded a smaller plane to flee, but around 7:00 pm,[8] when he was descending the flight ladder using the pilot as a shield, he was shot three times by the elite Brazil Federal Police team.