GOL Flight midair collision.

Legacy jet transponder off in Brazil crash-report
Wed Oct 4, 2006 9:21am ET
Market View


SAO PAULO, Brazil, Oct 4 (Reuters) - Brazilian authorities believe two pilots may have shut off the transponder in their business jet, rendering its anti-collision system useless, before crossing paths with a commercial airliner that crashed last week in the Amazon, killing all 155 people on board.

Passports of the two American pilots, Joe Lepore and Jan Paladino were confiscated on Tuesday and will remain with Brazilian Federal Police during the investigation, said Judge Tiago de Abril in Mato Grosso state, where the plane crashed.

"We know that the transponder was turned off," said Jose Carlos Pereira, the head of Brazil's airports authority, the Estado De Sao Paulo newspaper reported on Wednesday.


The transponder is a key component of the anti-collision system that each plane was equipped with. The planes would not have detected each other if one of the two transponders were off, authorities said. The transponder also sends signals to air traffic controllers with details such as altitude and speed.

"A pilot only turns it off when he doesn't want to be identified. The Legacy could have turned it off to try some air tricks far from the eyes of the air traffic controllers," Pereira said. "But it also could have been a case of mechanical failure. It's very unlikely that a plane leaves the factory with that problem

full story

_______________________

The mystery continues...
 
We may need some input from someone that has flown over Brazil but it seems to me that there would be alot of airspace over the country that is not under radar coverage. Leading to the thinking that you may have the entire area to yourself, so you can do some manuvers in your new jet. If that's really the case then it's just a tragic accident caused by a self-centered decision. Another lesson learned.
Or maybe they just didn't heed the directive to fly at FL360 instead of 370, and for some other reason didn't have the transponder on. Hopefully, some more facts will come out soon.
 
Amazing. Whether the transponder was turned off or if it was inop on a brand new aircraft, truly amazing. The dynamics of the collision itself are going to be very interesting - how the smaller, lighter aircraft remained flyable and the 737 did not.
 
Back
Top