At 20:05, Belém Center called Flight 254 again, demanding a report. The captain stated that he had a 170° magnetic heading to Marabá (in reality it was Goiânia), and that he was receiving a bearing from the Carajás beacon (which actually was the Barra do Garças beacon). Garcez was perplexed when Belém informed him that the Carajás beacon had been shut down since 19:30, and the center decided to illuminate the Carajás runway in an attempt to facilitate Flight 254's orientation. Realizing that he would not have enough fuel to reach Belém, the captain decided to head for Carajás Airport, which would have been the correct decision if he had not mistaken Goiânia for Marabá. Another opportunity to solve the situation was missed around 20:30, when the flight passed within of the Serra do Cachimbo Air Force Base, a very large airfield, which the 737 could have successfully reached.
