Mid-air collision over Brasil

[Richard_Brazil]

Today's Brazilian press carries articles claiming the final report on the accident will be released this week, and giving what are purportedly the report's conclusions.

The accident investigation was done by CENIPA, which is part of the Brazilian Air Force. The Air Force released a statement on the accident report this afternoon.

In reading this, keep in mind that the reports in the media say the report concludes the pilots turned off the transponder. There is a small group of relatives of the accident victims who are determined to find some way to blame the American pilots for the crash. These people have repeatedly told lies in the past. They have not "spun" or "shaded" or "given their side", they have repeatedly and consistently made statements that are factually untrue, and known to be untrue.

Below, the complete Air Force statement.


http://www.fab.mil.br/portal/capa/index.php?mostra=2051

06/12/2008 - 13h40
Note: Final Report Flight 1907
In relation to the material published in the press about the FINAL REPORT ON THE FLIGHT 1907 ACCIDENT, the Air Force Center for Social Communication (CECOMSAER) clarified that this document will be presented to the victims' relatives on December 10, 2008, at 13:00, at the Center for the Investigation and Prevention of Aeronautic Accidents, in Brasilia, according to an invitation issued on Friday, yesterday, 5/12. Only after fulfilling this commitment to first inform the relatives, will the content be presented to the press in general.

Additionally, this Center confirms that CENIPA held a meeting with victims' relatives, on August 9, 2008. At that meeting, the relatives saw segments of the reconstruction of the accident, based on the voice and data records of the black boxes of the aircraft involved in the accident. They also received information about the work done up to that point by the Commission, however they were informed that the conclusions will be presented in the final document.

The principal points presented in the meeting with the families, already supplied to the press, were the following:
1) No errors were found in the design or integration of the communications, transponder and TCAS (anti-collision) equipment of aircraft N600XL (the Legacy);

2) Between January 29 and 31, the two American pilots were heard, in individual interviews, at the headquarters of the NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board), in Washington, in the United States. The pilots heard two hours of audio recorded by the black-box (CVR) of aircraft N600XL and answered a long questionnaire elaborated by the Commission of Investigation about the accident;

3) The pilots said that they did not undertake any intentional act to interrupt the functioning of the transponder and, consequently, of the aircraft's anti-collision system, as well as not having noticed or remembered having done anything that could have caused the accidental interruption of the functioning of that equipment;

4) Some rules and procedures were not correctly followed in the occurrence, which led the Commission to analyze the reasons for this having happened, with the objective of elaborating flight safety recommendations. These considerations will be made in the final report;

5) In the accident no indication was found of influence of radar coverage, through inefficiency or deficiency in air traffic control communications and surveillance equipment;

6) Additional information on the technical investigation will be supplied at the end of the work, with the conclusion of the final report. Air Brigadier Antonio Carlos Moretti Bermudez
Head of the AIR FORCE CENTER FOR SOCIAL COMMUNICATION

Source: CECOMSAER