Boeing Crash: Brazilian Minister Says Legacy’s Transponder Was Off

Early analysis of the flight data recorders from two planes that collided in Brazil’s deadliest air disaster indicated the smaller jet’s transponder was not signaling its location at the time of the accident, revealed Brazil’s Defense minister.

All 154 people aboard Gol Airlines flight 1907 were killed last September 29 when the Boeing 737 crashed into Brazil’s dense jungle after clipping an executive jet.

In a press conference Defense Minister, Waldir Pires, said that initial analysis by the International Organization of Civil Aviation in Canada showed the transponder aboard the Embraer Legacy 600 executive jet was not broadcasting the aircraft’s location.

"There is still no confirmation if the transponder was turned off or if there was an interruption because of equipment failure" Pires said. "That we don’t know."

The Legacy, on its maiden flight to U.S. purchaser ExcelAire Service Inc., landed safely at a Brazilian military base with none of the seven people aboard harmed.

Pires also said the Legacy’s data recorder showed the pilots told air traffic controllers in the capital Brasí­lia they were flying at 37,000 feet as they approached the city.

"The position of 37,000 feet until Brasí­lia was the normal position," Pires said. "After Brasí­lia (the plane) should have dropped to 36,000 feet." The crash occurred after the plane passed Brasí­lia and air traffic controllers lost contact with the Legacy.

The Legacy apparently collided with the Boeing at 37,000 feet, an altitude reserved for planes travelling in the opposite direction. Investigators were trying to determine how the smaller jet came to return to the higher altitude, and were considering possible error by the pilots or air traffic controllers.

Earlier this week, Pires said the Legacy appeared to be following its flight plan after it passed Brasí­lia, the first time since the accident that a Brazilian official acknowledged that radar had tracked the Legacy’s altitude.

Controllers previously said they were unable to track the plane’s altitude because its transponder stopped transmitting shortly before the crash. The two US pilots of the Legacy have had their passports retained and must remain in Brazil pending the investigation.

Mercopress

Tags:

You May Also Like

Brazil’s Petrobras Celebrates Records in Production and Stock Price

The total oil and gas production by Petrobras, Brazil’s state owned oil company, increased ...

Toyota Recalls Tens of Thousands of Brazilian Made Corollas

Japanese company Toyota has agreed to recall an unspecified number of Corollas manufactured in ...

Brazil Engaged in Another Olympics: Reshaping Its Image Before Games Open

Brazil received a huge boost in its international image with its selection as the ...

Brazil and LatAm in Boom Phase. Caution Is Recommended Though

In Latin America the business climate in July reached its highest level in a ...

Already Brazil’s Third Largest Trade Partner, China Wants More

The Chinese government hopes that trade between Brazil and China will reach US$ 20 ...

Brazil and Argentina Bury the Hatchet After WTO Treaty’s Clash

Brazil and Argentina ratified their "strategic alliance" on Monday during a business seminar opened ...

600 Pages of Suggestions on How to Improve Brazil’s Service Sector

As in the rest of the world, the tertiary sector is the one that ...

Brazil’s Government in the Offensive Wants Quick Proof of Bribery Accusations

The leader of the government in the Senate, AloÀ­zio Mercadante (PT-SP), affirmed, that the ...

The Invisible Ink, Made in Brazil

A colorless, odorless, quick-drying ink that is fluorescent only in the presence of ultraviolet ...

Ethanol Consumption Overtakes Gasoline in Brazil

The Brazilian Statistical Directory of Petroleum and Natural Gas, published on the website of ...