An amazing tale

[markvid]

What can you do, though?
It's not like it was done intentionally even if they did cause it.
Very tragic accident, nothing more.

I know they might have been at the wrong altitude, but c'mon, they're not gonna hear something from air traffic and go screw you, we do what we want.

well if they were at the wrong altitude - which trained investigators will try to determine - then their negligence or incompetence may have caused the death of everyone in the other plan. i'm not saying that's what happened, but that's the theory.

as for the NYT piece, that was a great read. on one level though it makes me think of the randomness of life itself. every day people die from freak accidents in which they did nothing wrong but were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. you just hope and pray it never happens to your family.

 

[slappy4428]

Pilots are screwed.. "detained?" Precursor to a witch trial...

 

[deportes]

this is a sad story, but these two pilots are done because of this:

"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)."

it's pretty obvious these pilots didn't follow the rules.

 

[leo1]

What can you do, though?
It's not like it was done intentionally even if they did cause it.
Very tragic accident, nothing more.

I know they might have been at the wrong altitude, but c'mon, they're not gonna hear something from air traffic and go screw you, we do what we want.

well if they were at the wrong altitude - which trained investigators will try to determine - then their negligence or incompetence may have caused the death of everyone in the other plan. i'm not saying that's what happened, but that's the theory.

as for the NYT piece, that was a great read. on one level though it makes me think of the randomness of life itself. every day people die from freak accidents in which they did nothing wrong but were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. you just hope and pray it never happens to your family.

unfortunately that kind of evidence ("c'mon they're not gonna ignore an order to change altitudes") might not go over too well in this case considering what happened.

 

[Armchair_QB]

Whether they're responsible or not, these pilots are going to spend a long time in a Brazilian jail. No way Brazil blames it on the commercial pilot.

I don't understand how the jumbo jet could go down but the smaller plane survived. Surely the smaller plane would have sustained more damage.

 

[Columbo]

Whether they're responsible or not, these pilots are going to spend a long time in a Brazilian jail. No way Brazil blames it on the commercial pilot.

I don't understand how the jumbo jet could go down but the smaller plane survived. Surely the smaller plane would have sustained more damage.

Easy.

The 737 took the evasive action and thus was at an unnatural angle when the aerodynamics were compromised.

 

[Del_B_Vista]

An update, a snippet of the story from the AP. Check you favorite wire outlet for more on the story:

By PETER MUELLO
Associated Press Writer
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (AP) — A court said Tuesday it had released the passports of two U.S. pilots of a private jet involved in a collision with a Boeing 737 over the Amazon that killed 154 people.
Joseph Lepore, 42, of Bay Shore, N.Y., and Jan Paladino, 34, of Westhampton Beach, N.Y.,— can pick up their passports and leave the country in 72 hours, the Federal Regional Court of the First Region of Brasilia said in an unanimous ruling.
The Americans were piloting a Brazilian-made Legacy executive jet when it collided Sept. 29 with a Gol Airlines Boeing 737-800. All 154 people on board the Gol flight were killed, while the Legacy landed safely with all seven people aboard unharmed.
Shortly after the accident, authorities seized the passports of Lepore and Paladino, effectively barring them from leaving Brazil. They had since been in a hotel in Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana beach.
Prosecutors have said they could be charged with involuntary manslaughter if they are found responsible for the crash. The pilots have denied any wrongdoing.

 

[Nathan Scott Phillips]

This would seem to be an occasion where the NYT should print the quote correctly: "nice ****ing flying" reads much better than the awkward construction in this column and gets the ****ing point across better.

 

[leo1]

i bet those guys don't go on any vacations anywhere near brazil