Unlike Pentagon - plane crashes & leaves wreckage

[blackcat]

http://news.yahoo.com/photos/ss/events/wl/071707brazilplane/im:/070718  /483/ab3ad0dbe7364d58b0fd7dbd9729e2c9;_ylt=Apvh8ucrbdnYCp9zjiUfIM_lWM cF?sp=6000&auto=yes

Flames engulf a gas station hit by a TAM Airlines A320 aircraft that crashed at Congonhas airport in Sao Paulo. Rescue workers pulled scores of bodies from the charred wreckage of a plane.

[Pikey]

Thanx for that BC. Wonder what the BBC Conspiracies files would make of that in their usual top quality unbiased and independent coverage

[FindOutTheTruth]

Does anyone know the aprox speed of the plane when it crashed?

[Mark Gobell]

There's a video of the aircraft on the runway compared to a normally landing plane and it is claimed that the errant Airbus 320 was travelling 3 times quicker than it should have been.

[Reflecter]

I offer my condolences to the 189+ victims families of this event

[Eckyboy]

well said reflector.

[Ed]

Does anybody agree that its incredibly dumb to have a gas station at the end of a runway?

[Mark Gobell]

Brazil TAM Airline Crash: Three Political VIPs Among the Passengers

Doomed Jet's Braking System Disabled Airline Says.

http://alexconstantine.blogspot.com/2007/07/brazil-ailine-crash-three- political.html

" ... Security video released by the air force showed TAM Flight 3054 speeding down the tarmac more than four times as fast as other planes landing around the same time ... [T]he thrust reverser, used by jets to slow down just after touching down, had been deactivated earlier in accordance with proper maintenance procedures. ... "

Ask yourself, while viewing the CBS coverage of the TAM crash here, how permitting the airbus to land with a disabled reverse thruster could possibly be described as "proper" in this instance:

http://cbs5.com/topstories/topstories_story_200092017.html

Officials are blaming the maintenance manual - because it doesn't specifically state that a plane with a malfunctioning or disabled reverse thruster should be grounded. Brazzil Magazine reports: " ... TAM's president, Marco Antonio Bologna, and the airline's vice president Ruy Amparo, confirmed that the reverse thruster wasn't working and had been turned off. According to them, however, this didn't represent any danger to the plane, since the jet's manual in these cases only recommend that the failed equipment be checked in ten days, but DOESN'T TELL to stop flying the aircraft. ... "

http://www.brazzilmag.com/content/view/8477/1/

A manual destroyed the airbus.

Flight professionals will permit an airplane to fly in any condition so long as the manual doesn't suggest grounding?

Incredibly, it WASN'T THE FIRST landing disaster at the airport determined to be caused by a faulty thruster. Brazzil reports: " ... In 1996, a reverse thruster failure was pointed as the reason for another crash in the SAME AIRPORT. At that time, a Fokker-100 also belonging to TAM crashed over a residential area, a few seconds after takeoff. killing 99 people."

http://www.brazzilmag.com/content/view/8477/1/

That was also a TAM ... and nothing was learned from the experience? Very peculiar reasoning.

- AC
-------------------
Opposition Leader Julio Redecker Among the Dead

http://cbs5.com/topstories/topstories_story_200092017.html

Jul 19, 2007 6:44 am US/Pacific
Government Criticized After Brazil Crash

" ... The accident is certain to have political ramifications, however, if only because the dead included Rep. Julio Redecker, 51, a leader of the opposition Brazilian Social Democracy Party and vocal critic of Silva's handling of the aviation crisis. ... "
---------------
Banco Santander - 2 Local Men Killed In Brazil Crash
Both Were Employees Of Banco Santander
July 19, 2007

MIAMI -- Two South Florida men were among the nearly 200 killed in the airplane crash in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Local 10 has learned.

The senior vice president of marketing and strategy for Banco Santander on Brickell Avenue confirmed Wednesday that two of their employees were on the airplane that crashed Tuesday. Pedro Abreau and Ricardo Tazoe, shown at right, were killed in the fiery crash. ...
---------
Banco Santander and Chavez

http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/articles.php?artno=2097

" ... Away from Chávez, his mouth and his oil, the Caracas financial community has been making serious money.… Venezuelan banks’ results that are the envy of the banking world, with returns on equity (RoE) of 33 percent the norm and 40 percent-plus RoE posted by pack leaders. International concerns are welcome to the party, too: Spain’s Banco Santander, which enjoys 15 percent of total market share, is a shining example. ... "
--------------
http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/americas/07/20/brazil.crash.ap/index.htm l?iref=mpstoryview

SAO PAULO, Brazil (AP) -- One of the two thrust reversers on an airliner that crashed in a fireball was turned off when the plane landed, the jet's owner said Thursday.

Officials were trying to determine why the plane with 186 aboard raced down a runway instead of slowing down. The airline insisted late Thursday that the thrust reverser, used by jets to slow down just after touching down, had been deactivated earlier in accordance with proper maintenance procedures. ...

Brazil's Globo TV reported earlier Thursday that an unidentified problem in the Airbus-320's right thrust reverser emerged four days before the crash and was under investigation by authorities.

TAM, the airline, told Globo TV that Airbus maintenance rules approved by Brazilian aviation officials say the type of problem found must be inspected within 10 days and that the planes can fly in the interim.

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was expected to finally address Brazil's deadliest air tragedy in a televised speech to the nation Friday evening.

His government has come under fire for failing to deal with the nation's air travel safety problems. His only comment since the plane exploded Tuesday night was a brief statement of condolences issued hours later.

The opposition Social Democratic Party complained in a statement that Silva "hasn't appeared publicly to express his sorrow, or to give solidarity to the families of the victims and explain what measures are being taken" to prevent similar accidents.

The TAM Linhas Aereas SA jet had 186 people aboard and at least three people died on the ground after it slammed into a building owned by the airline, causing explosions and a fire that was still smoldering two days later.

By late Thursday, 188 bodies had been retrieved, but forensic examiners had identified only 25. ...

Meanwhile, authorities struggled to determine why the TAM jet raced down the runway after landing instead of slowing down just before it was blown apart in a series of explosions.

Security video released by the air force showed TAM Flight 3054 speeding down the tarmac more than four times as fast as other planes landing around the same time. That raised the possibility of pilot or mechanical error instead of a slick and short runway widely cited as a likely cause.

Brig. Jose Carlos Pereira, president of the national airport authority Infraero, said authorities must wait for an analysis of the black box to explain why the jet was going so fast.

"For some reason, the plane did not slow down," he said. "Something happened and the pilot, for some reason, accelerated the plane."

Aviation officials insist Congonhas' 6,362-foot runway is not too short for safe operations, but pilots have long complained about slippery conditions during rainy weather and say the length allows small margin for error.

On Thursday, another TAM plane had to pull out of a landing after coming in at an unsafe angle, circled around and landed safely on its second attempt -- a fairly routine event at Congonhas.

A day before the crash, two planes skidded off the runway. On March 22, a Boeing 737-400 overshot the runway in a heavy rain, stopping just short of a steep drop....
------------------
Brazil jet thrust reverser 'off' - The video footage shows the final moments of the flight

BBC

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6907704.stm

A thrust reverser on the plane which crashed in Brazil, killing some 200 people, had been deactivated during maintenance checks, the airline says.

The reversers can be used to help jets slow down on landing but Tam Airlines insisted the deactivation was in accordance with proper procedures.

The Tam Airlines' Airbus 320 overshot the runway at Sao Paulo's Congonhas airport, hit buildings and exploded.

There has been intense speculation but no confirmation on the crash's cause.

But the crash has brought mounting calls for Congonhas airport to close.

Brazilian President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva, who has been criticised by opponents for his low profile since the crash, will address the nation on Friday and is expected to announce new measures on air safety.

'Higher speed'

Tam Airlines said the right thrust reverser was "deactivated" at the time of the accident "in conditions stipulated by the maintenance of the manufacturer Airbus and approved by [Brazil's] National Civil Aviation Agency".

Tam Airlines' comments came after Brazil's Globo TV said a problem with the right thrust reverser had emerged four days before the crash.

Tam said Airbus's own manual says an inspection can be done up to 10 days after it is first detected and that the plane can continue to operate in the meantime.

Globo TV also reported that the same plane had problems landing at Congonhas the day before the crash.

The channel said the plane only managed to stop at the limit of the runway. The pilot told air traffic controllers it was very slippery but did not mention any other problems, the report said.

The crash occurred in wet conditions on a recently resurfaced runway that has been criticised as being too short.

New video footage shows some of the final moments of the Tam Airlines flight from the southern city of Porto Alegre, and another similar plane that had arrived earlier.

It appears to show the Tam plane travelling along one section of the runway at higher than normal speed.

It shows the first aircraft apparently taking 11 seconds to travel along the visible section, while the plane that crashed covers the same distance in three.

The Airbus 320 jet appears to continue speeding along the runway without slowing, before disappearing out of view. The flash of an explosion can be seen a short time later.

According to Globo TV, the Brazilian air force, which oversees the country's air traffic control system, believes the footage shows the plane was travelling at excessive speed.

As the plane careered towards the busy road nearby, one theory is that the pilot tried to take off again. The aircraft crossed the road and ploughed into a Tam Airlines building.

"That he jumped over the avenue was an indication he tried to take off. If he didn't [try to take off] he would have gone nose down at the end of the runway," Brig Jorge Kersul Filho, director of the Air Force's Centre for Investigation and Prevention of Air Accidents, said.

Some 180 bodies have been recovered from the burnt wreckage, says fire chief Nilton Miranda, adding another 20 bodies are expected to be found.

Most of the passengers and crew on board the flight were Brazilian.

Posted by Alex Constantine at Friday, July 20, 2007

[Mark Gobell]

Brazil's aviation radar goes dark

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/americas/07/21/brazil.aviation.ap/index. html?iref=mpstoryview

SAO PAULO, Brazil (AP) -- A radar failure over the Amazon forced Brazil to turn back or ground a string of international flights Saturday, deepening a national aviation crisis just hours after the president unveiled safety measures prompted by the country's deadliest air disaster.

Further shaking Brazilians' confidence, authorities announced that they had mistaken a piece of the fuselage from Tuesday's accident for the flight recorder and sent it to a laboratory for analysis.

The radar outage from 11:15 p.m. Friday to 2:30 a.m. Saturday, caused by an electrical problem, forced numerous planes heading to Brazil from the United States to return to their points of origin and make unscheduled landings at airports from Puerto Rico to Chile.

Eight of the 17 planes flying in the coverage area of the radar system were rerouted, and some airlines canceled flights bound for Brazil.

While the nation has had chronic problems with delays and cancellations on domestic flights over the past 10 months, the radar outage was the first time that international flights have been severely affected.

"This is total chaos here. I have never seen anything like and it makes me feel very unsafe," said Eli Rocha, 52, of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, who was trying to head to Dallas, Texas, with his 12-year-old son. He was delayed at Sao Paulo's international airport Saturday amid scores of passengers arriving from the United States after hours of delays.

The confusion followed a nationally televised speech by President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who tried to calm the nation Friday night by announcing new safety measures and saying authorities will build a new airport in Sao Paulo, where an Airbus A320 operated by Tam Airlines crashed, killing 191 people.

All 187 people aboard and at least four on the ground died when the jetliner raced down the runway, skipped over a crowded highway and slammed into a building that was still smoldering three days later.

Lula da Silva's speech Friday night was his first public pronouncement about the crash except for a brief statement.

"Our aviation system, in spite of the investments we have made in expansion and modernization of almost all Brazilian airports, is passing through difficulties," Lula da Silva said. "The security of our aviation system is compatible with all the international standards. We cannot lose sight of this."
Don't Miss

* President vows crash probe
* Airline: Brake system disabled
* List of passengers, employees, crew (PDF)
* Chronology: Recent plane crashes

Silva said aviation officials will limit the number of flights and restrict the weight of planes traveling into Congonhas airport, where Tuesday's accident occurred, and that the location of the new airport will be chosen within 90 days.

But Sao Paulo's Mayor Gilberto Kassab told reporters Saturday that building a new airport, which could take between five and 10 years, was not a priority for the city, which would instead seek to claim houses around Congonhas airport as eminent domain in order to lengthen runways.

Congonhas, the nation's busiest airport, is in the heart of Sao Paulo and its short runway has been flagged as a likely factor in the crash.

Also Saturday, officials said they had mistakenly sent part of the plane's fuselage to the United States, thinking it was the flight recorder.

Gen. Jorge Kersul Filho, head of the air force's accident prevention division, told reporters in Sao Paulo the real flight recorder had been located early Saturday in the wreckage and would be sent to Washington later in the day for analysis.

The radar outage was caused when a short circuit cut off electricity during routine maintenance Friday night in the jungle city of Manaus, Brazil's air force said in a statement. Power was restored by 1:30 a.m. Saturday, and the radar coverage was working again an hour later.

When the power went out 17 flights were within the coverage area of the radar system in a large swath of the Amazon, the statement said. Nine planes continued to their destinations, and eight were rerouted. None of the jets were in any danger, the statement said.

The problem forced American Airlines to divert 13 Brazil-bound planes that had departed from New York, Miami and Dallas, said company spokeswoman Mary Frances Fagan.

Two American Airlines flights from Sao Paulo to Miami made unscheduled landings in the jungle city of Manaus, said Celso Gick, a spokesman for Brazilian airport authority Infraero. Brazilian media reported that another American Airlines flight landed in Santiago, Chile.

Steve Dolman of Houston was on an American flight from Miami to Sao Paulo when passengers were told about the radar failure over the Caribbean. The flight returned to Miami, where passengers sat on the plane for three hours before taking off again for Brazil.

Dolman, a frequent business traveler to Brazil, said all the recent problems should serve as a wake-up call. "You worry about it and just hope they take it seriously," he said.

Delta Airlines spokeswoman Thonnia Lee said six of its flights were also diverted -- three from the U.S. and three from Brazil. Flight 121 from New York was diverted to San Juan, Puerto Rico, before refueling and taking off again for Sao Paulo, arriving more than four hours late.

Jose dos Santos, a 43-year-old cafe owner, was aboard Delta Flight 121 when the crew announced Brazil was not letting airplanes enter their airspace because of the radar failure.

"I was saying, 'Oh my God!, my life is over. I was in a panic. All I could think about was the Gol jet that crashed in Amazon last year," Santos said, referring to the September crash of a Gol Airlines Boeing 737 over the rain forest, which killed all 154 people aboard.

September's Gol crash in the Amazon was the country's worst air disaster until Tuesday's accident, and it exposed widespread problems with the country's air traffic control system.
advertisement

It also touched off months of work slowdowns by air traffic controllers protesting precarious working conditions. Congressional investigations turned up holes in the country's radar coverage; antiquated equipment and flight controllers with only rudimentary knowledge of English.

Brazilian, French and U.S. investigators say it is too early to determine the cause of Tuesday's crash. Analysis of the recorded cockpit conversations is not expected until next week.

[Disco_Destroyer]

Correctional analysis