For the Record

I recently posted the gravely flawed congressional-investigation (CPI) report into the Sept. 29 crash, which is riddled with erroneous mistranslations by congressional officials from English to Portuguese and back, as noted by our own eminently reliable translator Mr. Pedicini.

Events are closing. The criminal trial continues. Civil litigation over the claims of victims -- filed against Gol Airlines as a matter of procedure, with the other principals included in the defense -- is moving inexorably toward a settlement, and my guess is that an out-of-court deal will come with gag orders. There's a lot of money on the table. Obviously, the families of the 154 victim have to be compensated. By whom? More later.

[Added Sept. 26: The perils of linking to the unreliable and selectively edited Brazilian documents are manifest. For example, the pilots of the Legacy had some difficulty trying to figure out how to turn on the cabin in-flight entertainment system (basically that screen display that shows passengers altitude and course). Their discussion on that subject is part of the transcript, but casual readers from Brazil have e-mailed me demanding to know why I don't admit the transcript of the pilots' conversation on that subject indicates they were unfamiliar with the Legacy. The "Air Show" cabin video system, of course, has no more to do with the flying an airplane or with aircraft avionics than the galley coffee pot does.]

The first anniversary of the crash is Saturday.

For those who have been carefully following this story, here are previously published links to key documents, to be considered along with the CPI draft report. As regards the ExcelAire report, it is interesting (and important) to note that no one has disputed anything in it.

The links:

IFACTA REPORT (from the international air traffic controllers organization)

http://js.biztravelife.com/IFATCA-Brazil-Mishap.pdf

IFATCA MAGAZINE SPECIAL

http://js.biztravelife.com/IFATCA-magazine.pdf

EXCELAIRE REPORT (It's long, about 70 pages)

http://js.biztravelife.com/Submissions.pdf

FAA Airworthiness Directive on transponders (Sept 2006) Note the section on Honeywell transponders in EMB-135 jets, which is the airframe of the Legacy.

http://rgl.faa.gov/Regulatory_and_Guidance_Library/rgAD.nsf/0/1BDDC176AC629452862571E70059100D?OpenDocument

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