Gol Transportes Aéreos Flight 1907

Gol Transportes Aéreos Flight 1907
2006FABGolSelva.jpg
Wreckage of the Gol Flight 1907 Boeing aircraft in the Amazon jungle.
Summary
Date September 29, 2006
Type Mid-air collision[1]
Site 200 km (120 miles) east
of Peixoto de Azevedo,
Mato Grosso, Brazil
Total fatalities 154
Total survivors 7
First aircraft
Type Boeing 737-8EH SFP[2]
Operator Gol Transportes Aéreos
Tail number PR-GTD
Flight origin Eduardo Gomes Int'l Airport
Stopover Brasília International Airport
Destination Galeão Int'l Airport[3]
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Passengers 148
Crew 6
Fatalities 154 (all)
Second aircraft
Type Embraer Legacy 600
Operator ExcelAire (delivery flight)
Tail number N600XL
Flight origin São José dos Campos
Regional Airport
Destination Eduardo Gomes Int'l Airport
Passengers 5
Crew 2
Survivors 7 (all)

Gol Transportes Aéreos Flight 1907 was a Boeing 737-800 SFP, registration PR-GTD, on a scheduled passenger flight from Manaus, Brazil to Rio de Janeiro, which collided in mid-air with an Embraer Legacy business jet on September 29, 2006 over the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso. All 154 passengers and crew aboard the Boeing 737 were killed as the aircraft crashed into an area of dense rainforest, while the slightly damaged Embraer Legacy landed safely with its seven occupants uninjured.

The accident was the deadliest in Brazil's aviation history at the time, surpassing VASP Flight 168, which crashed in 1982 with 137 fatalities near Fortaleza. It was subsequently surpassed by TAM Airlines Flight 3054, which crashed on July 17, 2007 with more than 190 fatalities.[4] This accident also triggered a major crisis in Brazilian civil aviation.

Contents

Boeing aircraft and crew

A similar model of the Gol aircraft.

The Gol Transportes Aéreos Boeing 737-8EH aircraft, a new Short Field Performance variant,[5][6] had been delivered to Gol on September 12, 2006 — 17 days and 234 hours of operation prior to the accident flight.[7][8] Gol flight 1907 departed the Eduardo Gomes International Airport in Manaus on September 29, 2006, at 15:35 BST (Brazil Standard Time),[9] with a planned intermediate stop at Brasília International Airport, en route to Rio de Janeiro-Galeão International Airport.[3]

There were 148 passengers and 6 crew members on board the Boeing airliner. The passengers consisted of 144 Brazilians and one each from France, Germany, Portugal and the United States.[10][11] The crew consisted of Captain Decio Chaves Jr., 44, First Officer Thiago Jordão Cruso, 29, as well as four flight attendants. The captain had 14,900 flight hours (3,900 of them on 737 Next Generation [737-NG] series aircraft), and also served as a flight instructor for Gol. The first officer had 3,850 flight hours.[12][13]

Embraer aircraft and crew

The newly built Embraer Legacy 600 business jet, serial number 14500965 and registration N600XL,[14][15] owned and operated by ExcelAire Service Inc., a Ronkonokma, Town of Islip, New York-based company,[16] was on a delivery flight from the Embraer factory to the U.S.. It departed from São José dos Campos Regional Airport (SJK), near São Paulo, at 14:51 BST, and was on its way to Eduardo Gomes International Airport (MAO) in Manaus as a planned enroute stop.[17] The flight crew consisted of Captain Joseph Lepore, 42, and First Officer Jan Paul Paladino, 34, both U.S. citizens.[18][19][20] The Italian-born[21] Captain Lepore had been a commercial pilot for more than 20 years, and had logged more than 8,000 flight hours. First Officer Paladino had been a commercial pilot for a decade, and had accumulated more than 6,400 flight hours. Both pilots were legally qualified to fly the Embraer Legacy as captain.[22]

The five passengers consisted of two Embraer employees, two ExcelAire executives, and The New York Times business travel columnist Joe Sharkey, who was writing a special report for a magazine specializing in corporate jets.[23][24]

Collision

Map of Brazil, depicting presumed flight paths from flight origins to known crash site[25]                      Boeing southeast bound                      Embraer northwest bound
CG render of the Boeing and Legacy about to collide
Collision detail

Just before 17:00 BST, the Boeing airliner and the Embraer business jet collided in mid-air, approximately midway between Brasilia and Manaus, near the town of Matupá (470 miles south of Manaus).[26][27][28]

The Boeing suffered major structural damage, leading to an in-flight breakup and impact with an area of dense rainforest vegetation, 200 kilometers (120 miles) east of the municipality of Peixoto de Azevedo,[29] killing all 154 passengers and crew on board. The wreckage of the aircraft was scattered in pieces around the crash site.[30]

The Embraer jet, despite sustaining some damage to the left horizontal stabilizer and left winglet, landed safely at the Brigadeiro Velloso Brazilian Air Force (BAF) Cachimbo air base.[29]

While initial statements from local authorities mentioned that they were unable to immediately determine with certainty that the incidents were related, the information given to the BAF by the Embraer's crew soon made a collision the most likely cause for the accident.[17][31] There were reports that air traffic control (ATC) lost contact (both radio and secondary radar) with the Embraer shortly before the collision.[32]

Embraer passenger/journalist Joe Sharkey reported in a The New York Times article titled "Colliding With Death at 37,000 Feet, and Living",[18] filed on October 1, 2006:

And it had been a nice ride. Minutes before we were hit, I had wandered up to the cockpit to chat with the pilots, who said the plane was flying beautifully. I saw the readout that showed our altitude: 37,000 feet. I returned to my seat. Minutes later came the strike (it sheared off part of the plane’s tail, too, we later learned).

Detention and charging of the ExcelAire's crew

The Embraer Legacy at Cachimbo Air Base
Damage to the Legacy's left side
The undamaged right side of the Legacy, for comparison

Immediately after the Embraer's emergency landing at the Cachimbo air base, BAF and Agência Nacional de Aviação Civil (ANAC) officials detained and interviewed its flight crew.[23][33] The officials also removed the two "black boxes" — Cockpit voice recorder (CVR) and Flight data recorder (FDR) — from the Embraer, and sent them to São José dos Campos, São Paulo for analysis.[23]

In an initial deposition, the ExcelAire flight crew testified that they were cleared to flight level 370, approximately 37,000 feet (12.3 km) above mean sea level, by Brasilia ATC, and were level at that assigned altitude when the apparent collision occurred. They also asserted that at the time of the collision they had lost contact with Brasilia ATC, and their anti-collision system did not alert them to any oncoming traffic.[34][20]

On October 2, the ExcelAire's Captain and First Officer were ordered by the Mato Grosso Justice Tribunal to surrender their passports pending further investigation. The request, made by the Peixoto de Azevedo prosecutor,[35] was granted by judge Tiago Sousa Nogueira e Abreu, who stated that the possibility of pilot error on the part of the Embraer crew could not yet be ruled out.[36]

The ExcelAire crew were forced to remain in Brazil until their passports were released to them on December 5, 2006, more than two months after the accident, after federal judge Candido Ribeiro ruled there were no legal grounds for "restricting the freedom of motion of the foreigners".[37]

Prior to their scheduled departure to the United States, the crew were formally charged by Brazilian Federal Police with "endangering an aircraft", a charge that carries a penalty of up to 12 years in prison. Former Justice Minister Jose Carlos Dias, who is acting as a lawyer for the ExcelAire's crew, criticized the charges against them as being "biased" and "discriminatory", literally saying that his clients were being charged with "not protecting the safety of Brazilians".[38] The two pilots were allowed to leave the country after signing a document promising to return to Brazil for their trial or when required by Brazilian authorities. They picked up their passports and were taken to Guarulhos International Airport for a charter flight back to the United States, where they arrived on December 9, 2006.[39][40]

Search and recovery operation

Aerial photograph of crash site
The Boeing's flight data recorder
The Boeing's CVR memory module[41]

The Brazilian Air Force (BAF) sent five fixed wing aircraft and three helicopters to the region, one of which equipped with a magnetic anomaly detector, for an extensive search and rescue operation. As many as 200 personnel were reported to be involved in the operation, among them a group of Kayapo people familiar with the forest.[42] The crash site of Gol Flight 1907 was spotted on September 30 by BAF authorities, at coordinates ,[43] 200 km (120 miles) east of Peixoto de Azevedo in the Jarinã farm area.[44] It was reported that rescue personnel had difficulty reaching the crash site due to the dense forest. Infraero at first indicated the possibility of five survivors, but a later statement from the BAF, based on data collected by BAF personnel who rappelled (abseiled) to the crash site and local authorities confirmed that there were no survivors.[45] Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva declared three days of national mourning.[46]

The flight data recorder and a non-data part of the cockpit voice recorder from the Boeing 737 were found on October 2, 2006 and handed over to the investigators, who sent them to the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) for analysis.[47][48] On October 25, 2006, after almost four weeks of intensive searching under harsh conditions in the jungle by numerous personnel equipped with metal detectors, the Boeing's cockpit voice recorder's memory module was finally found. The module was discovered intact, separated from other wreckage pieces, embedded in about 20 centimetres of soil, and was also sent for analysis by the TSB in Canada.[49][50]

On October 4, the recovery crews began moving the bodies to the temporary base established at the nearby Jarinã farm. The BAF deployed a C-115 Buffalo aircraft to transport the bodies to Brasília for identification.[51]

The recovery teams spent nearly seven weeks, working intensively in an extremely harsh jungle environment, painstakingly searching for and identifying the victims' remains. The final victim was recovered and identified by DNA testing on November 22, 2006.[52]

Initial investigation

IFR high altitude enroute chart section of Brasilia area, depicting UW2, UZ6 airways

On October 9, 2006, a facsimile copy of the Embraer's originally filed flight plan was released by the news media.[53] The flight plan consisted of flying at FL370 up to Brasilia,[54] on airway UW2, followed by a planned descent at Brasilia to FL360, proceeding outbound from Brasilia northwest-bound along airway UZ6 to the 'Teres' fix,[55] an aeronautical waypoint located 282 nm (324 miles, 522 km) northwest of Brasilia, where a climb to FL380 was planned. According to the filed flight plan, the Embraer was to have been level at FL380, proceeding towards Manaus, while passing the eventual collision point, which was about 307 km northwest of Teres.

The Embraer's crew asserted in their depositions that they were cleared by air traffic control to FL370 for the entire trip, all the way to Manaus.[56] This assertion appears to be consistent with ATC communication transcripts leaked to the press on November 3, 2006, which show that the initial pre-takeoff IFR clearance given to the Embraer was "N600XL, Clear, 370, Manaus".[57][58][59]

The leaked ATC communication transcripts included another apparent opportunity for air traffic control to verify or modify the Embraer's altitude, as when it crossed Brasilia, the Embraer was handed off to another controller, where upon initial contact the Embraer stated "N600XL at 370, Good afternoon." The controller responded by asking the Embraer to activate the "Ident" function on the transponder,[60] followed by the controller confirming the radar contact, without questioning the altitude, which was FL370.[61][62]

Preliminary CENIPA factual report

Investigation committee president Col. Rufino Antônio da Silva Ferreira presents the preliminary findings.

A preliminary factual report was released by the Brazilian Aviation Accident Investigation and Prevention Center (Centro de Investigação e Prevenção de Acidentes Aeronáuticos, CENIPA) on November 16, 2006, and presented in a news conference by Col. Rufino Antonio da Silva Ferreira, head of CENIPA's Inquiry Division and president of its Flight 1907 Accident Investigation Commission.[30] The preliminary report focuses on the known facts to date: the Embraer's original flight plan called for an altitude of FL370 to Brasilia, FL360 to Teres and FL380 to Manaus. Gol 1907's flight plan called for an altitude of FL370 to Brasilia. The collision occurred at 16:56:54 BST at FL370 and it was confirmed that neither Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) system had activated or alerted its respective crew, nor did any crew see the oncoming traffic visually or initiate any evasive action prior to the collision.

Embraer flight and communication sequence

IFR high altitude enroute chart section of Teres fix area, depicting UZ6 airway and Cachimbo airbase; crash site is between Nabol and Istar fixes on UZ6

According to the report, the Embraer took off from São José dos Campos at 14:51, reaching FL370 at 15:33, 42 minutes later, where it remained until the collision.[30]

The report states that ATC maintained normal two-way radio contact with the Embraer up until 15:51, when the last successful radio exchange with the Embraer was made on VHF frequency 125.05 MHz with Brasilia Center. At that point the Embraer was just approaching the Brasilia VOR.[63] The Embraer overflew the Brasilia VOR at 15:55, 4 minutes later, and proceeded outbound on UZ6. At 16:02, 7 minutes after crossing the Brasilia VOR, secondary radar contact was lost with the Embraer, thus stopping the updated reporting of the Embraer's altitude on the controller's radar screen.

No attempt was made by either the Embraer or Brasilia Center to contact each other from 15:51 until 16:26 when, 31 minutes after the VOR crossing and 24 minutes after the loss of secondary radar contact, Brasilia Center called the Embraer and received no reply. Brasilia Center then unsuccessfully attempted to contact the Embraer six more times, between 16:30 and 16:34. At 16:30 the Embraer's primary radar target became intermittent, and disappeared completely from the radar screen by 16:38, 8 minutes later. Brasilia Center unsuccessfully attempted to effect a handoff of the Embraer to Amazonica Center at 16:53,[64] on frequencies 123.32 MHz or 126.45 MHz, by calling the Embraer in the blind.[65]

The Embraer, on the other hand, started calling Brasilia Center, also unsuccessfully, from 16:48 and continued with 12 more unsuccessful attempts until 16:53. Some limited contact was made at that point, but apparently of insufficient quality, as the Embraer was unable to copy the Amazonica Center frequencies.[66] The Embraer then continued its attempts to reach Brasilia Center, seven more times, until the collision occurred at 16:56:54.

At 16:59:50, about 3 minutes after the collision, Amazonica Center started to receive the Embraer's secondary radar reply, with its correct altitude and last assigned code. At 17:00:30 Amazonica Center unsuccessfully attempted to contact the Embraer by radio. At 17:01:22 the Embraer attempted and was able to establish indirect contact with Amazonica Center, relayed via another aircraft on the frequency, and coordinated its emergency landing at Cachimbo air base. At 17:02:10 Amazonica Center received the Embraer transponder emergency code of 7700.

Gol 1907 flight and communication sequence

According to the report, Gol 1907 took off from Manaus at 15:35, flying along UZ6 and reaching FL370 at 15:58, 23 minutes later, where it remained until the collision. The report states that there were no radio or radar contact problems with the flight until its handoff to Brasilia Center. The report makes no mention of any attempt by ATC to warn flight 1907 of the conflicting traffic.

ATC and CVR transcripts

Neither the ATC communication transcripts, nor the CVR (cockpit voice recorder) transcripts are included in this preliminary report. Transcripts of the pre-takeoff clearances obtained and read back by the flight crews and/or any subsequent enroute clearances or instructions are also not included.

The flight recorder of PR-GTD stopped recording at 7,887 feet.[30]

News conference comments

After presenting the report at the news conference, Col. da Silva Ferreira said that "at this moment, any conclusion will be premature," and that it is still not possible to say "that one thing caused the accident."[67]

Updated NTSB report

On November 22, 2006, the U.S. NTSB issued an update of its own preliminary report,[68] based on the Brazilian CENIPA report. The updated NTSB report includes essentially the same information as the CENIPA report, with a varying level of detail, with some differences.[69] Like the CENIPA factual report, the NTSB report also does not include any actual ATC communication transcripts, nor a determination of the causes of the accident.

NTSB Safety Recommendation

On May 2, 2007 the NTSB issued a Safety Recommendation that included an interim summary of the current state of the investigation, as well as some immediate safety recommendations that the NTSB believes should be implemented by the U.S. FAA to enhance flight safety.[70]

The NTSB reported that the Embraer's crew maintained a steady altitude and airspeed once in cruise, based on the Embraer's Flight Data Recorder (FDR):

Data from the FDR indicated that the Legacy crew did not perform any abnormal maneuvers during the flight. FDR information indicates that the airplane was level at FL370, on course along airway UZ6, and at a steady speed until the collision with the Boeing 737 at a point about 460 nm north-northwest of BRS, on airway UZ6.

The NTSB also reported that the Embraer apparently experienced a TCAS outage, unbeknownst to its flight crew prior to the collision, according to the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR):

Preliminary findings in the ongoing investigation indicate that, for reasons yet to be determined, the collision avoidance system in the Legacy airplane was not functioning at the time of the accident, thereby disabling the system’s ability to detect and be detected by conflicting traffic. In addition, CVR data indicate that the flight crew was unaware that the collision avoidance system was not functioning until after the accident.

The NTSB added that the design of the Embraer's avionics is such that the non-functioning of the TCAS that apparently occurred is annunciated by a small static white text message, which may not be noticeable by the flight crew. The NTSB noted:

Using only static text messages to indicate a loss of collision avoidance system functionality is not a reliable means to capture pilots’ attention because these visual warnings can be easily overlooked if pilots’ attention is directed elsewhere in the flight environment.

Based on its observations, the NTSB recommended to the FAA that design changes be implemented to improve the noticeability of TCAS annunciation, and that the FAA advise pilots of all aircraft to become more familiar with the details of this accident, potential loss of transponder and/or TCAS function, and how to recognize them.

Legal action

On November 6, 2006, the families of ten of the deceased filed a lawsuit for negligence against ExcelAire and Honeywell, alleging that the Embraer pilots were flying at an 'incorrect altitude' and that the Honeywell transponder was not functioning at the time of the collision.[71] Other suits were subsequently filed on behalf of other victims, with similar allegations against ExcelAire and Honeywell.[72]

The attorney representing the Embraer crew, Miami based Robert Torricella, responded to the allegation that the crew was flying at an 'incorrect altitude' by stating that according to international regulations, clearances and directives issued by ATC supersede a previously filed flight plan, and in this case:[73]

"...the flight plan cleared by air traffic control at the time of departure required the Embraer to fly all the way to Manaus at 37,000 feet and, absent contrary directives from air traffic control, the Embraer was obligated to follow its cleared flight plan. As the findings of the investigation are made public, we are confident that ExcelAire's pilots will be exonerated."

A Honeywell spokesperson stated that "Honeywell is not aware of any evidence that indicates that its transponder on the Embraer Legacy was not functioning as designed or that Honeywell was responsible for the accident."[74]

Dramatization

Discovery Channel Brazil aired A Tragédia do Vôo 1907 ("The Tragedy of Flight 1907"), a documentary about the disaster.[75] In 2007 some family members of the Gol 1907 victims stated that they believed that the documentary exhibited bias.[76]

The crash was the subject of a Season 5 Episode of Mayday (also known as Air Crash Investigation) entitled Phantom Strike (also titled Death Over the Amazon and Radio Silence).

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ "Diretora da Anac confirma colisão entre avião da Gol e jato Legacy" (in Portuguese), Folha Online (2006-10-01). Retrieved on 2006-10-01. 
  2. ↑ Photo of Boeing 737-8EH PR-GTD (Aviation Safety Network).
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Jetliner With 155 Aboard Is Missing Over Amazon", The New York Times
  4. ↑ "ASN Aircraft accident description Boeing 727-212 PP-SRK - Sierra de Pacatuba, CE". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on 2006-09-30.
  5. ↑ "Boeing 737 Design Enhancements Earn FAA Certification". Boeing (2006-07-27). Retrieved on 2006-09-30.
  6. ↑ Guerra, Flávio (2006-09-16). "Airliners.net Photos: Gol Transportes Aereos Boeing 737-8EH". Airliners.net. Retrieved on 2006-09-30.
  7. ↑ "200 Air Force Men at Boeing Crash Site in Brazilian Jungle", brazzilmag (2006-10-01). Retrieved on 2007-04-25. 
  8. ↑ "Brazilian jet carrying 155 missing", MSNBC (2006-09-30). Retrieved on 2006-09-30. 
  9. ↑ All times mentioned in this article are Brazil Standard Time, UTC-3, unless otherwise noted
  10. ↑ "GOL CORRIGE LISTA DE PASSAGEIROS E NÚMERO DE MORTOS CAI PARA 154" (in Portuguese) (October 5, 2006). 
  11. ↑ "Gol divulga lista de passageiros do vôo 1907" (in Portuguese), Folha Online (2006-09-30). Retrieved on 2006-09-30. 
  12. ↑ "Passenger Destination and Crew Profile Flight 1907 Advisory #6 (Gol Press Advisory)" (September 30, 2006).
  13. ↑ "Saiba mais sobre os passageiros e tripulantes que estavam no vôo 1907", Folha SP (October 5, 2006). 
  14. ↑ "Pictures of damaged Embraer Legacy aircraft". DAC (2006-10-01). Retrieved on 2006-10-01.
  15. ↑ "Embraer confirms it believes Legacy was involved in Gol Boeing 737 collision". Flight International (2006-09-30). Retrieved on 2006-09-30.
  16. ↑ "Contact Us." Excelaire. Retrieved on November 16, 2008.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 ""Bati em alguma coisa", diz piloto do Legacy" (in Portuguese), Globo (2006-09-30). Retrieved on 2006-09-30. 
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 "Colliding With Death at 37,000 Feet, and Living", The New York Times (October 1, 2006). 
  19. ↑ "Ocupantes do Legacy dizem ter sentido impacto" (in Portuguese), Globo (2006-10-01). Retrieved on 2006-10-01. 
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 "PILOTO DO LEGACY DIZ QUE TORRE AUTORIZOU ALTITUDE DE VÔO". Retrieved on 2006-10-02.
  21. ↑ ""ME FALAM DESDE DOMINGO QUE ELE VOLTA AMANHÃ", DIZ PAI DO PILOTO" (in Portuguese), Globo (2006-10-04). Retrieved on 2006-10-04. 
  22. ↑ "Executive jet pilots could face charges". MSNBC (October 4, 2006). Retrieved on 2007-04-25.
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 Tourinho, Gustavo (2006-10-01). "Caixas-pretas do Legacy chegam a São José dos Campos para perícia (Legacy's black boxes arrive in São Jose Dos Campos for analysis)" (in Portuguese). Retrieved on 2006-10-01. 
  24. ↑ "Brazilian Authorities Suspect No Survivors From Jet That Crashed Carrying 155 People", Fox News (2006-09-30). Retrieved on 2006-09-30. 
  25. ↑ "Quadro mostra as hipóteses sobre a colisão dos aviões" (in Portuguese) (October 3, 2006). 
  26. ↑ "Matupá, Brazil - Google Maps". Google Maps. Retrieved on 2006-09-30.
  27. ↑ "Avião da Gol Desaparece na Região de Matupá, em Mato Grosso" (in Portuguese), Globo (2006-09-29). Retrieved on 2006-09-30. 
  28. ↑ "Embraer divulga nota sobre acidente que envolveu uma da suas aeronaves" (in Portuguese), O Globo Online (2006-09-30). Retrieved on 2006-09-30. 
  29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 "NTSB Preliminary Synopsis". Retrieved on 2006-10-05.
  30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 30.2 30.3 "Flight 1907 Preliminary Report (PPT in Portuguese)". Retrieved on 2006-11-17.
  31. ↑ "FAB Mantém buscas por avião desaparecido" (in Portuguese), Globo (2006-09-30). Retrieved on 2006-09-30. 
  32. ↑ "LEGACY FICOU FORA DO RADAR POR 15 MINUTOS E RECEBEU 5 ALERTAS" (in Portuguese), G1.com.br (2006-10-05). Retrieved on 2006-10-06. 
  33. ↑ "Joe Sharkey at Large - "Astonished to Be Alive..."" (October 2, 2006). Retrieved on 2006-10-02.
  34. ↑ "Legacy estava sem contato com a torre de controle", Folha Online (October 3, 2006). 
  35. ↑ "Pilotos do Legacy estão proibidos de deixar o Brasil" (in Portuguese), Ministério Público do Estado de Mato Grosso (2006-10-02). Retrieved on 2006-10-02. 
  36. ↑ "Justiça manda apreender passaportes de pilotos do Legacy" (in Portuguese), Folha Online (2006-10-02). Retrieved on 2006-10-02. 
  37. ↑ "Brazil Releases Passports of Long Island Pilots", AP/ABC News (December 5, 2006). 
  38. ↑ "American pilots charged in Amazon jetliner crash.", AP (December 8, 2006). 
  39. ↑ JOHN NANCE (December 7, 2006). "Criminalizing Aviation Accidents Only Assures Repeats", ABC News. 
  40. ↑ "Pilots in Brazil crash return to U.S.", AP (December 9, 2006). 
  41. ↑ The French text reads "FLIGHT RECORDER DO NOT OPEN."
  42. ↑ "Índios ajudam a resgatar vítimas de acidente com avião, o pior ocorrido no Brasil" (in Portuguese), Folha Online (2006-10-01). Retrieved on 2006-10-01. 
  43. ↑ "Não há sobreviventes em acidente com o avião da Gol, diz Aeronáutica" (in Portuguese), Folha Online (2006-09-30). Retrieved on 2006-09-30. 
  44. ↑ "Destroços de avião da Gol indicam queda vertical" (in Portuguese), Folha Online (2006-09-30). Retrieved on 2006-09-30. 
  45. ↑ "FAB diz que não há sobreviventes" (in Portuguese), Globo (2006-09-30). Retrieved on 2006-09-30. 
  46. ↑ "Lula declara luto nacional" (in Portuguese), Globo (2006-09-30). Retrieved on 2006-09-30. 
  47. ↑ Canada was selected by CENIPA as a 'neutral site' for the FDR/CVR analysis, due to the sensitive political aspects of this investigation.
  48. ↑ "Aeronáutica encontra caixas-pretas do Boeing da Gol (Air Force recovers black boxes from Gol Boeing)" (in Portuguese), Globo (2006-10-02). Retrieved on 2006-10-02. 
  49. ↑ "Gravador de Voz - Vôo 1907". ANAC. Retrieved on 2007-04-25.
  50. ↑ "Últimas informações sobre as caixas pretas e o trabalho da comissão de investigação" (in Portuguese). Agência Nacional de Aviação Civil (2006-10-03). Retrieved on 2006-10-03.
  51. ↑ "Brazilian Air Force press release" (in Portuguese). Força Aérea Brasileira (Brazilian Air Force) (2006-10-04). Retrieved on 2006-10-04.
  52. ↑ "IML confirma identificação da última vítima da queda do Boeing da Gol" (in Portuguese), Folha Online (November 22, 2006). Retrieved on 2006-11-22. 
  53. ↑ "PLANO DE VÔO MOSTRA QUE LEGACY ESTAVA NA ALTITUDE ERRADA" (October 9, 2006). 
  54. ↑ FL370 is 'Flight Level 370', which is an altitude of approximately 37,000 feet Above Mean Sea Level (AMSL)
  55. ↑ The Teres fix is located on airway UZ6 at coordinates 12°28.5'S, 51°22.1'W, see:
  56. ↑ "Depoimentos mostram contradições no acidente aéreo" (in Portuguese) (October 10, 2006). 
  57. ↑ Tavares, Bruno (November 3, 2006). "Para oficiais, contato com Legacy foi impreciso, não incorreto" (in Portuguese), O Estado de S. Paulo. Retrieved on 2006-11-03. 
  58. ↑ "Pilots reportedly given wrong information in crash that killed 154", Associated Press (November 3, 2006). 
  59. ↑ "FAB confirma que controle errou no acidente da Gol", Folha de S. Paulo (November 3, 2006). 
  60. ↑ The Ident function on a transponder is routinely used by ATC, typically after receiving control of an aircraft from another controller, to verify an aircraft's location by asking the flight crew to press a button that causes the aircraft's target on the controller's radar screen to 'blossom' (illuminate brightly) momentarily, for positive identification.
  61. ↑ Cantanhêde, Eliane (November 2, 2006). "Caixa-preta de Legacy revela que torre errou" (in Portuguese), Folha Online. Retrieved on 2006-11-03. 
  62. ↑ BILL BLEYER (November 4, 2006). "Pilots' account verified", Newsday.com. 
  63. ↑ The VHF omnidirectional range (VOR) transmitter installation is a defined waypoint, underlying the airway.
  64. ↑ A 'handoff' in aviation parlance refers to the transfer of responsibility for an aircraft under radar control from one controller to the next.
  65. ↑ "Calling in the blind" refers to making radio transmissions without receiving any acknowledgment.
  66. ↑ To 'copy' in aviation parlance means to understand a received radio transmission.
  67. ↑ BILL BLEYER AND MARTIN C. EVANS (November 16, 2006). "Brazil issues early report on air crash", Newsday.com+AP. Retrieved on 2007-04-25. 
  68. ↑ "UPDATE ON BRAZILIAN INVESTIGATION INTO SEPTEMBER MIDAIR COLLISION OVER AMAZON JUNGLE". U.S. NTSB (November 22, 2006).
  69. ↑ BILL BLEYER (November 29, 2006). "Question of fairness in Brazil probe", Newsday.com. Retrieved on 2007-04-25. 
  70. ↑ "NTSB Safety Recommendation" (PDF) (May 2, 2007).
  71. ↑ "US firms sued over Brazil crash", BBC (November 6, 2006). 
  72. ↑ "2nd lawsuit filed in Brazil air disaster", MSN+AP (November 10, 2006). Retrieved on 2007-04-25. 
  73. ↑ "ExcelAire: Lawsuits Regarding Gol Jet Accident Premature", aero-news.net (November 9, 2006). 
  74. ↑ "Lawyers for Brazil air crash victims file suit in New York City", International Herald Tribune (November 6, 2006). 
  75. ↑ "A Tragédia do Vôo 1907," Discovery Channel Brazil
  76. ↑ "The Association of Relatives and Friends of Gol's Flight 1907 Victims Announces That the Discovery Channel's Documentary is Not Approved by the Families of Flight 1907's Victims." Business Wire

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American 1420 · United 811 · Air Transat 236 · Swissair 111 · Aeroperú 603 · Alaska 261
Season 2
British Airways 5390 · ASA 529 · Air France 8969 · Bashkirian 2937 and DHL 611 · American 965 · Avianca 52
Season 3
Aloha 243 · DHL OO-DLL · JAL 123 · FedEx 705 · Iran Air 655 · Philippine 434 · Bristow 56C · EgyptAir 990 · Aeroflot 593 · Ethiopian 961
Season 4
Air France 358 · British Airways 9 · Air Canada 797 · Korean Air 801 · United 585 / USAir 427 / Eastwind 517 · China 006 · Aeroméxico 498 · USAF 21 · Flash 604 · Helios 522
Season 5
Air Midwest 5481 · American 96 / Turkish 981 · Air Canada 143 · Delta 191 · Southern 242 · South African 295 · Air India 182 · Birgenair 301 · Eastern 401 · GOL 1907 and ExcelAir N600XL
Season 6
Pan Am 103 · Operation Babylift · ALM 980  · Saudia 763 and Air Kazakhstan 1907  · To be announced