BRASILIA – An A-29 Super Tucano of the Brazilian air force crashed Saturday for unknown causes in a rural area of the city of Campo Grande, and its only occupant died in the accident, officials said.

The aircraft belonged to the Flecha squadron that operates in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, whose capital is Campo Grande, and at the time of the crash its pilot was performing some of the usual training exercises, the air force said.

Capt. Vanderley Coelho of the firefighter team called to deal with the emergency told local media that the pilot’s body was found some 50 meters (165 feet) from the aircraft, which nosedived with such force that it blasted its way about 2 meters (6½ feet) into the ground.

The air force said it will launch an investigation to determine the causes of the accident, the first in the Flecha squadron since it was founded in 2004.

The A-29 Super Tucano is a light turbo-prop fighter and trainer aircraft that can carry a wide array of both conventional and smart weapons.

Manufactured by the Brazilian company Embraer, this model has been sold to a number of countries including Colombia, Chile, Ecuador and the Dominican Republic.

Embraer is the world’s No. 3 aircraft manufacturer and dominates the market for up-to-120-seat jets.