Defense Minister Nelson Jobim announced plans to for an escape area at the end of the notorious Congonhas runway and limits on operations in wet conditions.
Proposed rules would restrict destinations to a 620-mile radius of the Congonhas airport; it would also bar connecting flights
Plans include limiting the number of passengers, and restricting takeoffs/landings to 33 hourly, and cutting passenger capacity from 5,100 per hour to 4,700.
Operations at Brazil's busiest airport were reviewed after an airliner ran off the runway and crashed into a building on July 17, the deadliest air accident in the country's history. The 620-mile limit would eliminate tourist destinations in the northeast. One wonders if they are deliberately targeting the American market.
2007/09/20
Brazil Regulator Proposes Restrictions
For Immediate Release
Sept 20, 2007
SAO PAULO, Brazil-Brazil's civil aviation regulator proposed restricting flights at the nation's busiest airport on Thursday, hoping to improve safety at the site of the nation's deadliest plane crash.
The rules proposed by the Civil Aviation Authority would restrict destinations to a 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) radius of the Congonhas airport and would bar connecting flights from the airport.
The Defense Ministry will now assess the report, and Defense Minister Nelson Jobim announced separately that authorities will decide within one month the precise location for construction of a third runway at Sao Paulo's Guarulhos airport.
Guarulhos handled mostly international flights before the July 17 crash at Congonhas, but many domestic flights were transferred there after the crash, prompting officials to revive a long dormant plan for the extra runway.
As many as 5,000 families living near Guarulhos may have to be relocated to make way for the runway, depending on the location selected, Brazil's Agencia Estado news service said.
The proposals grow out of a review of operations at Congonhas following the crash in which a TAM airliner ran off the runway and slammed into a building two months ago, killing 199 people.
Officials have not determined a cause, but many experts have said that Congonhas' main runway is too short and that the airport _ Brazil's busiest _ handles far too many flights.
The 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) limit would let airlines fly to key destinations such as Brasilia, Rio de Janeiro and cities in southern Brazil, but not to tourist destinations in the northeast.
TAM Linhas Aeras SA and Gol Linhas Aereas Inteligentes _ Brazil's two largest airlines _ previously used Congonhas as a major hub, but are now reorganizing operations.
The regulators also proposed limiting the number of passengers aboard flights, and restricting takeoffs and landings to 33 per hour at Congonhas, cutting overall passenger capacity at the airport to 4,700 per hour from 5,100 per hour.
Jobim, whose ministry oversees Brazilian civil aviation, earlier announced plans to for an escape area at the end of the runway and limits on operations in wet conditions.
Sept 20, 2007
SAO PAULO, Brazil-Brazil's civil aviation regulator proposed restricting flights at the nation's busiest airport on Thursday, hoping to improve safety at the site of the nation's deadliest plane crash.
The rules proposed by the Civil Aviation Authority would restrict destinations to a 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) radius of the Congonhas airport and would bar connecting flights from the airport.
The Defense Ministry will now assess the report, and Defense Minister Nelson Jobim announced separately that authorities will decide within one month the precise location for construction of a third runway at Sao Paulo's Guarulhos airport.
Guarulhos handled mostly international flights before the July 17 crash at Congonhas, but many domestic flights were transferred there after the crash, prompting officials to revive a long dormant plan for the extra runway.
As many as 5,000 families living near Guarulhos may have to be relocated to make way for the runway, depending on the location selected, Brazil's Agencia Estado news service said.
The proposals grow out of a review of operations at Congonhas following the crash in which a TAM airliner ran off the runway and slammed into a building two months ago, killing 199 people.
Officials have not determined a cause, but many experts have said that Congonhas' main runway is too short and that the airport _ Brazil's busiest _ handles far too many flights.
The 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) limit would let airlines fly to key destinations such as Brasilia, Rio de Janeiro and cities in southern Brazil, but not to tourist destinations in the northeast.
TAM Linhas Aeras SA and Gol Linhas Aereas Inteligentes _ Brazil's two largest airlines _ previously used Congonhas as a major hub, but are now reorganizing operations.
The regulators also proposed limiting the number of passengers aboard flights, and restricting takeoffs and landings to 33 per hour at Congonhas, cutting overall passenger capacity at the airport to 4,700 per hour from 5,100 per hour.
Jobim, whose ministry oversees Brazilian civil aviation, earlier announced plans to for an escape area at the end of the runway and limits on operations in wet conditions.
2007/09/19
One Two Go Disaster
Perth expatriate Robert Borland, 48, survived Sunday's crash of discount airline One-Two-Go when it slid off the runway and burst into flames on the island resort of Phuket. Borland's family wants to find the man who rescued him from the burning plane. 89 passengers and crew were killed, and 41 injured. 57 of the injured were foreigners. Forensic police have now identified 21 of the foreign victims Civil aviation officials have said the pilot had received permission to abort the landing at the last minute.
There were no survivors of the Tam Airbus crush on July 18. All 186 people aboard the ill-fated Brazilian TAM flight 3054 died in a fiery crash in Sao Paulo. Thirteen people on the ground also were killed. The Airbus 320 careened off the notoriously short runway upon landing at Sao Paulo's Cagonhas airport, skidded across a crowded avenue and slammed into a warehouse where it burst into flames.
Though nearly 1.5 million dollars in indemnities to families of victims, only one case has settled. Other of the Tam Air cases are in negotiation. Counselling treatment and funeral costs are also expected to be covered.
There were no survivors of the Tam Airbus crush on July 18. All 186 people aboard the ill-fated Brazilian TAM flight 3054 died in a fiery crash in Sao Paulo. Thirteen people on the ground also were killed. The Airbus 320 careened off the notoriously short runway upon landing at Sao Paulo's Cagonhas airport, skidded across a crowded avenue and slammed into a warehouse where it burst into flames.
Though nearly 1.5 million dollars in indemnities to families of victims, only one case has settled. Other of the Tam Air cases are in negotiation. Counselling treatment and funeral costs are also expected to be covered.
2007/09/15
1.5 Million paid
On July 18, all 186 people aboard the ill-fated Brazilian TAM flight 3054 died in a fiery crash in Sao Paulo. Thirteen people on the ground also were killed. The Airbus 320 careened off the notoriously short runway upon landing at Sao Paulo's Cagonhas airport, skidded across a crowded avenue and slammed into a warehouse where it burst into flames.
Though TAM announced Saturday it has paid nearly 1.5 million dollars in indemnities to families of victims, as of Thursday, only one case has settled.
Ninety-nine victim's relatives were indemnified, at 30,000 reales per victim, for a total of nearly three million reales.
Food and lodging expenses for families who traveled to the Sao Paulo airport in the days after th crash of flight 3054, as well as psychological treatment and funeral costs were also defrayed by the airline.
Though TAM announced Saturday it has paid nearly 1.5 million dollars in indemnities to families of victims, as of Thursday, only one case has settled.
Ninety-nine victim's relatives were indemnified, at 30,000 reales per victim, for a total of nearly three million reales.
Food and lodging expenses for families who traveled to the Sao Paulo airport in the days after th crash of flight 3054, as well as psychological treatment and funeral costs were also defrayed by the airline.
Latin Airports Plagued with Problems
Brazilian officials have yet to agree on exactly what caused a TAM airliner to skid off the rain-slicked runway at Congonhas on July 17, killing all 187 aboard and 12 on the ground. Critics claim the runway is too short and lacks grooves to prevent skidding during wet weather.
Mountains increase the risks at airports in Tegucigalpa, Honduras and Quito, Ecuador.
Birds pose problems at airports in Panama City; Guayaquil, Ecuador; and Barranquilla, Colombia. A single bird sucked into an engine can down a plane.
Six hundred vultures have closed Barranquilla's airport for two hours daily since June 19, Illegal dumping by squatters around the airport attracts the birds.
Peter Cerda, a Miami-based specialist in air safety said, ''We don't have any airport in the region that we consider to be unsafe, including Congonhas,''
Mexico City already has modernized approach and departure procedures, allowing airliners to shave a few minutes off flights, and it is getting a new terminal later this year that will increase gates from 33 to 59. But air traffic there will remain congested because the airport's two runways are too close together to permit simultaneous use.
A similar plan in Brazil has yet to get under way.
Mountains increase the risks at airports in Tegucigalpa, Honduras and Quito, Ecuador.
Birds pose problems at airports in Panama City; Guayaquil, Ecuador; and Barranquilla, Colombia. A single bird sucked into an engine can down a plane.
Six hundred vultures have closed Barranquilla's airport for two hours daily since June 19, Illegal dumping by squatters around the airport attracts the birds.
Peter Cerda, a Miami-based specialist in air safety said, ''We don't have any airport in the region that we consider to be unsafe, including Congonhas,''
Mexico City already has modernized approach and departure procedures, allowing airliners to shave a few minutes off flights, and it is getting a new terminal later this year that will increase gates from 33 to 59. But air traffic there will remain congested because the airport's two runways are too close together to permit simultaneous use.
A similar plan in Brazil has yet to get under way.
2007/09/13
How the Airbus Brakes
An A320 gets three devices to brake
- The wheel brakes. Click here to download the pdf of 2005 Airworthiness Directive is published by the DGAC on behalf of EASA, Airworthiness Authority of the State of Design. This is directive is not directly related to the Brazil crash.
- The spoilers or air-brake: small panels located on the wings that help braking by increasing the drag of the wings and giving the aircraft's wheels better traction.
- The thrust reversers: engine device ejecting engine airflow forward, thus braking the plane.
Interested in more about the Airbus? Airbus Flight Crew Training Manual.pdf
TAM Linhas Aéreas Crash on 17th July Airbus A320-233 Paulo, Brazil
TAM Flight 3054 was a regular flight from Porto Alegre, Brazil, to São Paulo-Congonhas, Brazil.
FACTS
- The plane was carrying 181 passengers, all of whom died in the crash.
- The plane was carrying 6 crewmembers, all of whom died in the crash.
- The plane killed 11 people on the ground, all of whom died in the crash.
- The Airbus A320 skid off the end of the rain-soaked runway cleared the airport fence and slammed into a TAM building.
- A video shows the plane touching down then speeding up.
- One of the Airbus 320's two thrust reversers was deactivated.
- Flying with only one thrust reverser is allowed and considered "safe", but reduces braking power.
TAM AIRBUS Thrust Reverser 'OFF'
Tam Airlines admits a thrust reverser had been deactivated during maintenance checks.
Tam Airlines insists the deactivation was in accordance with accepted procedures. Thrust reversers assist jets to slow down on landing.
The Tam Airlines' Airbus 320 overshot the runway at Sao Paulo's Congonhas airport, hit buildings and exploded. Speculation continues but there is no confirmation on the crash's cause. The same plane had problems landing at Congonhas a day prior the crash when it had barely managed to stop at the limit of the runway. The report said that the pilot told air traffic controllers it was very slippery.
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" according to Tam Airlines. The Airbus's 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.
The crash occurred in wet conditions runway that has been criticized as being too short, and whose new surface had not yet been properly surfaced to handle rain.
Video footage shows a few final moments of the Tam Airlines flight, and a similar plane that had arrived earlier. The Tam plane appears to be traveling at a higher than normal speed.The first aircraft apparently takes eleven 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 is then seen.
The Brazilian air force believes the footage shows the plane was traveling at excessive speed, according to Globo TV. One theory speculates that the pilot tried to take off again. Instead, the aircraft crossed the road and ploughed into a Tam Airlines building.
Brig Jorge Kersul Filho, director of the Air Force's Centre for Investigation and Prevention of Air Accidents, said, ""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."
Tam Airlines insists the deactivation was in accordance with accepted procedures. Thrust reversers assist jets to slow down on landing.
The Tam Airlines' Airbus 320 overshot the runway at Sao Paulo's Congonhas airport, hit buildings and exploded. Speculation continues but there is no confirmation on the crash's cause. The same plane had problems landing at Congonhas a day prior the crash when it had barely managed to stop at the limit of the runway. The report said that the pilot told air traffic controllers it was very slippery.
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" according to Tam Airlines. The Airbus's 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.
The crash occurred in wet conditions runway that has been criticized as being too short, and whose new surface had not yet been properly surfaced to handle rain.
Video footage shows a few final moments of the Tam Airlines flight, and a similar plane that had arrived earlier. The Tam plane appears to be traveling at a higher than normal speed.The first aircraft apparently takes eleven 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 is then seen.
The Brazilian air force believes the footage shows the plane was traveling at excessive speed, according to Globo TV. One theory speculates that the pilot tried to take off again. Instead, the aircraft crossed the road and ploughed into a Tam Airlines building.
Brig Jorge Kersul Filho, director of the Air Force's Centre for Investigation and Prevention of Air Accidents, said, ""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."
2007/09/09
Has Brazil Overcome its Aeronautic Crisis?
Three ANAC directors ( Denise Abreu, Jorge Luiz Veloso and Leur Lomanto) have resigned, leading ANAC ( Brazil's National Civil Aeronautics Agency) to claim that the country's aeronautic crisis has been overcome--a political move laying the blame of the entire system on the heads of three individuals.
President Lula told local radio that "problems still exist at the airports." Statistics show that 11 percent of flights, 20 percent of which were canceled, were delayed during the holidays on Independence Day.
ANAC claims that problems began in Sept. 2006, when a GOL plane crashed in Mato Gross, killing 154, but the problem stems from a much earlier budget cut. The air disaster merely drew attention to the growing problem. The underfunded Brazilian air system has suffered from cutbacks and lowered standards across the board. Planes have been out of service for maintenance, and the airline Varig stopped flying.
When overworked traffic controllers stated their demands, a group of them was transferred from Air Defense to Civil Aviation.
After the TAM plane crash in July, killing 200 people, the Congonhas runway (known for its abbreviated length) in Sao Paulo was closed for resurfacing.
Replacements for Denise Abreu, Jorge Luiz Veloso and Leur Lomanto, have not been selected.
President Lula told local radio that "problems still exist at the airports." Statistics show that 11 percent of flights, 20 percent of which were canceled, were delayed during the holidays on Independence Day.
ANAC claims that problems began in Sept. 2006, when a GOL plane crashed in Mato Gross, killing 154, but the problem stems from a much earlier budget cut. The air disaster merely drew attention to the growing problem. The underfunded Brazilian air system has suffered from cutbacks and lowered standards across the board. Planes have been out of service for maintenance, and the airline Varig stopped flying.
When overworked traffic controllers stated their demands, a group of them was transferred from Air Defense to Civil Aviation.
After the TAM plane crash in July, killing 200 people, the Congonhas runway (known for its abbreviated length) in Sao Paulo was closed for resurfacing.
Replacements for Denise Abreu, Jorge Luiz Veloso and Leur Lomanto, have not been selected.
2007/09/04
TAM to delay expansion plans due to Brazil’s civil aviation chaos
TAM Linhas Aereas has postponed plans to increase its fleet of Airbus jets from 2008 to 2011 allegedly because of a drop in demand for domestic air travel.
It will cut demand for narrow-body Airbus jets by five planes a year. Previous plans included 103 narrow-body jets in 2008, 106 in 2009, 112 in 2010 and 115 in 2011.
Brazil's Aviation Industry has been in crisis for the past year due to overcrowding, air traffic controller strikes and massive delays, not to mention suffering from the consequences of the Sao Paolo air crash. A TAM Airbus 320 crashed at Sao Paulo's Congonhas airport in July, killing 199 people. This crash at Brazil's busiest domestic airport led the government to review use of the airport.
It currently flies to Paris, London and Milan in Europe and New York and Miami. TAM plans to leave international flights unchanged. It plans to start flights to Frankfurt from November 30 and to start daily flights to Madrid by December. TAM said it is sticking to its forecast of a 10 to 15% rise in domestic demand in 2007.
TAM has orders for 51 narrow-bodied Airbus jets, which include the A319, A320 and A321, and orders for 10 A330 planes through 2011. It had ordered four additional Boeing 777-300ER planes worth 1 billion US dollars. Boeing said TAM was the first Latin American airline to add the long-range jetliner to its fleet.
The new planes will help the company save fuel and increase its presence in the international market. It is set to receive its first of the planes in June 2008.
The competition, GOL Linhas Aereas Inteligentes, has a reduced fleet plan this year.
It will cut demand for narrow-body Airbus jets by five planes a year. Previous plans included 103 narrow-body jets in 2008, 106 in 2009, 112 in 2010 and 115 in 2011.
Brazil's Aviation Industry has been in crisis for the past year due to overcrowding, air traffic controller strikes and massive delays, not to mention suffering from the consequences of the Sao Paolo air crash. A TAM Airbus 320 crashed at Sao Paulo's Congonhas airport in July, killing 199 people. This crash at Brazil's busiest domestic airport led the government to review use of the airport.
It currently flies to Paris, London and Milan in Europe and New York and Miami. TAM plans to leave international flights unchanged. It plans to start flights to Frankfurt from November 30 and to start daily flights to Madrid by December. TAM said it is sticking to its forecast of a 10 to 15% rise in domestic demand in 2007.
TAM has orders for 51 narrow-bodied Airbus jets, which include the A319, A320 and A321, and orders for 10 A330 planes through 2011. It had ordered four additional Boeing 777-300ER planes worth 1 billion US dollars. Boeing said TAM was the first Latin American airline to add the long-range jetliner to its fleet.
The new planes will help the company save fuel and increase its presence in the international market. It is set to receive its first of the planes in June 2008.
The competition, GOL Linhas Aereas Inteligentes, has a reduced fleet plan this year.
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