Politicians accused after Brazil crash plane revelation

A disconnected thrust reverser on the airliner which overshot a runway in Brazil emerged today as a possible factor in the crash in which 190 people were killed.

And officials were accused of cheering the possibility that the revelation of mechanical trouble might shift blame away from the government.

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who has been almost silent about Brazil’s worst air disaster, scheduled a televised speech to the nation tonight.

His administration has been accused of failing to address long-standing air travel safety problems, including deficient radars, under-funded air traffic control systems and the short, slick runway at Sao Paulo, Brazil’s busiest airport.

All 186 people aboard the A320 and at least four on the ground died when the plane raced down the runway, skipped over a crowded highway and exploded in a fireball which was still smouldering three days later.

The president, known for his frequent and lengthy speeches, has been holed up in the capital since then, huddling with advisers and cancelling public appearances.

“Where is the president who loves to give speeches?” political commentator Lucia Hippolito asked.

The political heat increased when Brazil’s most popular television network captured one of Mr Silva’s top aides, Marco Aurelio Garcia, making an obscene gesture, widely interpreted as a reaction of glee, as he watched a television report that one of the jet’s two thrust reversers had been deactivated four days before the crash.

The reversers throw the force of the jet engines forward to aid deceleration during landings, and while it is not unusual for twin-engine planes to use only one when the other is unserviceable, Brazilian aviation consultant Elias Gedeon said “it is possible that the thrust reverser could have played a role”.

Brazilian, French and US investigators say it is too early to say what caused the crash. Recorded cockpit conversations are being analysed in the US and first results are not expected until next week.

Nevertheless, Mr Garcia quickly issued a statement that he was “offended” when he learned of the mechanical problem, not only because so many people died but because “important sectors of the media did not hesitate to blame the government for the tragedy in Sao Paulo only a few hours after the accident”.

Brazilian media and opposition politicians insisted today that the gesture, broadcast relentlessly on Brazilian television, showed Mr Garcia was pleased the heat might shift away from Mr Silva’s government.

“This attitude is unacceptable and offends all Brazilians while they are still distraught over the nation’s worst aviation tragedy,” said Tarso Jeiressati, president of the Social Democratic Party.

Shares in the airline, TAM Linhas Aereas SA, fell 2.4% on Sao Paulo’s Bovespa exchange today.

Hours after Globo TV revealed the thrust reverser problem, TAM announced that it had been properly deactivated and that government procedures allow jets in such condition to fly if they are inspected within 10 days.

Airport video showed TAM Flight 3054 from Porto Alegre speeding along the runway more than four times as fast as other planes, raising the possibility of pilot or mechanical error.

Brazilian officials have said the pilot accelerated instead of slowing down after landing – a possible indication that he was trying to take off again after realising he would not be able to stop.

The Congonhas airport recently resurfaced its runway to provide better braking in rainy conditions. But the new surface had not dried enough for deep grooves to be cut in the Tarmac to help slow the planes’ wheels.

Federal prosecutors have sought a court order to close Congonhas during the investigation, which could cause chaos throughout Brazil’s air travel system and severe financial problems for airlines.

By today, 184 bodies had been retrieved and four people injured on the ground had died.

In September, 154 people were killed when a Gol Airlines Boeing 737 collided with a small jet over the Amazon rainforest. Until Tuesday, that crash had been the country’s deadliest.