Family members of GOL´s flight 1907 victims believe that the
transponder of the Legacy jet was voluntarily disconnected by the
pilots, Joseph Lepore and Jan Paladino, causing the accident of
September 29, 2006 in Brazil with a death toll of 154 people.
"We already knew that they could not have disconnected the
transponder inadvertently with their feet, their laptop or any other
way; however, the civil aviation authority´s statement, that there is
no indication of intentional disconnection, is unacceptable as they
were cognizant of their entire dialogue during the trip," says
Angelita De Marchi, president of the Association of Relatives and
Friends of GOL´s Flight 1907 Victims.
De Marchi says a transcript of GOL´s flight 1907 black box
conversations support the families´ beliefs.
Rosane Gujthar, Rolf Gujthar´s widow, agrees that the civil
aviation authority cannot exclude the possibility of intentional
disconnection of the transponder given the pilots´ own remarks,
recorded in the black box, which she says illustrates their lack of
good judgment, negligence and lack of expertise with the equipment.
FMS (Flight Management System) is responsible for the management
of several of the plane´s functions, like flight planner, navigation,
performance calculation, fuel consumption, etc. "It cannot be said
that they did not disconnect the transponder intentionally, since they
assumed the risk of piloting an unfamiliar airplane, even its FMS,"
states Rosane.
"So, with all this, we want to know which other devices from the
Legacy were turned off, besides the transponder and the TCAS, which we
know of from the investigations. After all this, how can the civil
aviation authorities claim that there is no indication of intentional
disconnection? Their decision to pilot an unfamiliar aircraft, not
knowing their equipment and international manuals, is an indication
that they knew they could endanger the lives of the crew and other
people."
After the accident, at 19h56min54s UTC (Coordinated Universal
Time), a conversation between the crew took place, while they tried to
establish contact with Brasilia´s control tower. The American pilots
began to look for the closest airport, and the pilot, Joseph Lepore,
assumes he has the TCAS (Traffic Collision Avoidance System) turned
off.
"The most ironic thing is that minutes after the collision at
19h57min50s, the Legacy´s transponder reappeared in the secondary
radar of the Amazon ACC, fully identified, with speed, altitude and
aircraft information," says Rosane.
Captain George William Araripe Sucupira, president of the Pilots
and Airplane Owners Association - APPA, states that "it would be
practically impossible" to have an involuntary disconnection of the
transponder/TCAS system. "It is impossible to disconnect a transponder
without the pilot´s intervention. How can I turn off the transponder
if I did not mess with the button? I can only turn it off if I change
its position. Therefore, the transponder can only be deactivated
voluntarily by the pilot, either by pressing or turning the button.
The transponder of modern airplanes is coupled with a TCAS. The TCAS
is a very basic instrument. That hypothesis does not exist. There is
no way to turn off the transponder by accident."
Angelita De Marchi states that the families are stressed due to
the lack of answers. "We are surprised every time with a new analysis
or a new statement about the accident. We are tired of not getting
straight answers about what happened the day of the accident and who
is responsible. We cannot go on with our lives until this is over,"
she says.
The victims´ families are awaiting the official report from the
civil aviation authority, as well as the decision on the Positive
Conflict Competence, which is under revision by Justice Paulo Gallotti
of the Supreme Court.
Reference links:
http://clipping.planejamento.gov.br/Noticias.asp?NOTCod=338128
http://g1.globo.com/Noticias/Brasil/0,,MUL6445-5598,00.html
http://www1.folha.uol.com.br/folha/cotidiano/ult95u131896.shtml
