巴西天馬航空3054號班機

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聖保羅消防局隊長Manoel Antonio da Silva Araújo被傳媒訪問。

消防員正在從飛機殘骸中移出遺體。

Air safety in Brazil has been under increased scrutiny recently following the mid-air collision in September 2006 over the Amazon of Gol Transportes Aéreos Flight 1907 and an Embraer Legacy 600. Congonhas has been singled out for having safety issues relating to operations in wet weather due to its location and runway characteristics for the traffic it serves.

機場內的35L跑道只長1,940米（6,365呎）。Congonhas' counterpart in Rio de Janeiro, the Santos Dumont Airport的跑道則更短，只長1,323米（4,341呎）。Both airports receive the same kind of traffic. Many variables affect the landing distance of an aircraft, such as approach speed, weight and the presence of either a tailwind or a headwind. 以空中巴士A320為例， a speed of just 20 節 higher than normal can result in as much as a 25% increase in the runway length needed to stop an aircraft. Wet weather can also significantly reduce the braking performance of aircraft, leading to an increase in the minimum runway length requirement.^[8]

在2007年2月, 一名巴西法官裁決禁止波音737-700、福克100和波音737-800型號的飛機進出機場。由於空中巴士A320生產商所指的制動距離比上述型號短，所以空中巴士A320並沒有被禁止進出機場。Pilots had complained that water had been accumulating on the runway reducing aircraft braking performance and occasionally causing planes to hydroplane. The judge claimed the runway needed to be 388 metres (1,275 ft) longer for these aircraft to operate safely. At the time, a spokeswoman from Brazil's National Civil Aviation Agency claimed "The safety conditions of the runway and the airport as a whole are adequate."^[9] TAM also objected to the decision with a spokesman stating "If the injunction stands, it will cause total chaos" claiming over 10,000 passengers per day would be inconvenienced. ^[9] The airport authorities appealed the decision, resulting in it being overturned the following day. An appeals court overruled the ban on the three types of planes, saying it was too harsh because it would have severe economic ramifications and that there were not enough safety concerns to prevent the planes from landing and taking off the airport. "The runway was reopened because of popular pressure," Gianfranco Beting, an aviation consultant, said in a TV interview. "This was a tragedy waiting to happen."^[10]

Infraero, the Brazilian state-run company which administers many of the country's airports, has since been doing remedial work to reduce the chances of runway flooding, but the work was not completed. The airport's main runway was recently closed for several weeks while it was repaired because of a problem with water collecting on the runway. The recently resurfaced runway did not yet have water-channeling grooves cut into it to reduce the danger of hydroplaning.^[1] The grooves were scheduled to be cut on July 28 after the concrete had settled. ^[9] On July 16, a day before the fatal TAM accident, two aircraft were reported to have had skidding issues on the runway, although the aircraft successfully landed. ^[11] That same day a Pantanal Linhas Aéreas ATR-42, ran off the runway onto the grass in a heavy downpour and similar conditions. The airport had been closed 18 times in the first quarter due to rain and water accumulation beyond minimum safety levels.^{[來源請求]}

"The government is clearly trying to convince public opinion that the runway at Congonhas was not at fault," said Elnio Borges, president of the Varig Pilots' Association. "They're going to do everything they can to blame the pilot." The airport reopened two days later on July 19, 2007 with an alternate runway; but federal prosecutors filed a petition to have it shut until both runways were determined to meet safety standards. ^[12]

[编辑] 調查

The investigation is being carried out by Brazil's Centre for the Investigation and Prevention of Aeronautical Accidents (Centro de Investigação e Prevenção de Acidentes Aeronáuticos, CENIPA). Data from the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder will be downloaded by the National Transportation Safety Board in the United States.^[15]

[编辑] 責任

After the crash, President Lula of Brazil ordered three days of national mourning.^[16]

Several countries and organisations offered their condoleances: Angola, Argentina, Bulgaria, Chile, China, Cuba, East Timor, the European Union, France, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Mexico, Oman, Pakistan, Peru, Portugal, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Tunisia, United States, Vatican City^[17] and Venezuela.

Pope Benedict XVI held a mass for the victims.

During the 2007 Pan-American Games in Rio de Janeiro, the Brazilian athletes wore a black armband in remembrance of the victims.^[18] The flags of all participating countries were flown at half mast on July 18. Matches involving a Brazilian athlete or team started with a minute silence.

All matches of the Campeonato Brasileiro 2007 started with a minute silence, while all players wore black armbands. Brazilian Formula One driver Felipe Massa had a black stripe on top of his helmet during the 2007 European Grand Prix, to commemorate the victims. Rubens Barrichello also had stripes on his helmet, and the two Red Bull Racing drivers David Coulthard and Mark Webber had small Brazilian flags on their helmets referring to the accident.