Report: Plane carrying 170 crashes in São Paulo

[nedbal]

Source: Reuters

Globo News TV says aircraft hits a filling station trying to land at airport

BREAKING NEWS
Updated: 7 minutes ago

SÃO PAULO - A passenger plane carrying 170 people crashed into a filling station at São Paulo's Congonhas airport Tuesday after failing to brake in time upon landing, Globo News television said.

Air Force Command confirmed the fire but could not say how many people were on board, if any, at the time of the accident, and whether there were any victims.

This is a breaking news story that will be updated.

Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19815779/

[piedmont]

1. Oh, man. That's awful. nt

[Fran Kubelik]

2. Plane carrying at least 150 crashes in São Paulo

Source: msnbc.com

SÃO PAULO - A plane carrying at least 150 people crashed into a gas station after landing at São Paulo's airport Tuesday, Brazil's airport authority said.

The TAM airline's Airbus 320 skidded off the pavement and crashed into the gas station outside Congonhas airport, said Jose Leonardi Mota, a spokesman with airport authority Infraero.

Mota said the flight originated in the southern city of Porto Alegre.

There were no immediate reports on injuries or deaths.

This is a breaking news story that will be updated.

Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19815779/

[aquart]

3. Damn.

[flamingyouth]

4. Newest update says 174 aboard.

Horrible. :(

[superconnected]

5. Since they crashed on the ground maybe they can get out.

Okay, they crashed at a filling station that's probably in flames, but still...

[MissB]

6. I assume that filling station = jet fuel.

The collision of the two can't be good.

[Name removed]

7. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Fran Kubelik]

8. you think Cheney arranged to have a plane crash in Brazil?

:wtf:

[Name removed]

12. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[MuseRider]

9. I think I just about had a heart attack.

My oldest is down there. With shaky hands I found out that he is in Buenos Aires today, flew yesterday. I was sure it was today he was flying and I did not know where but at some point he is going or has been to Sao Paulo.

Those poor people. I hope some are able to get out. I think I will lay down for a while now.

*Thunk*

[Fran Kubelik]

10. ...

:hug:

[Maddy McCall]

29. Hugs.

:hug:

[cboy4]

11. Can anyone explain why they put gas stations in line with runways?

March 2000, Burbank.

[Skittles]

13. that seems like a terrible misjudgement to me too

I mean, please

[regnaD kciN]

14. In this case, it wasn't...

The plane skidded off the runway, turned 45 degrees to the left, crossed a roadway and hit the warehouse next to the gas station.

[cboy4]

26. Well, even so.....if you look at this diagram, that still seems

too close to the runway, considering planes don't obviously always skid/crash in a straight line.

[bmbmd]

38. Off topic

but look at the price of gas in that photo...

[Occulus]

40. I find the prices on the sign as 'interesting' as the plane next to it.

No slam or flame or anything- but a buck fifty-nine?

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

15. Plane crashes at São Paulo airport

Source: CNN

SAO PAULO, Brazil (CNN) -- A TAM Airline passenger plane carrying as many as 170 people crashed Tuesday while attempting to land at Sao Paulo's Congonhas domestic airport, the airline said.

The statement did not say how many people were on board. There was no immediate word on survivors.

The plane apparently struck a building. Video footage from the scene showed visible flames at the crash site and a TAM sign visible on the building.

Flight JJ3054, an Airbus A320, was coming to Sao Paulo from Porto Alegre, the airline said.

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/americas/07/17/brazil.plane.crash/index.html

---

Shit, I fly a LOT among those regions AND by that company. :scared:

[xmas74]

16. I just saw that.

As of this time there are no reports of injuries or fatalities.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

17. It's likely there are survivors. Hopefully, all passengers. One person died in the building.

What happened is the light rain made the plane go into aquaplaning. In a twist of evil irony, the building hit belongs to TAM itself.



Left: "Gas station and TAM cargo warehouse"
Right: "Congonhas landing strip"

[xmas74]

21. I hate the thought of anyone dead

but am glad that there are at least survivors.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

22. I know for a fact that people were rescued alive from the building. Let's see about the plane.

There are/were about 170 people there. :cry:

[xmas74]

23. I'll keep listening for more info

about the plane.

[Skittles]

31. I believe everyone on the plane was killed

:(

[xmas74]

39. They said over 180 dead

[Rosa Luxemburg]

18. Airbus 320

not the first time this aircraft has done that

that's awful, shivers

Incidents


(As of 17 July 2007 for the whole A320 family)

* Hull-loss Accidents: 17 with a total of 442 fatalities<16>
o 26 June 1988 - Air France Flight 296 crashed into the tops of trees beyond the runway on a demonstration flight at Habsheim, France. 3 passengers were killed.
o 14 February 1990 - Indian Airlines Flight 605, an A320-231 carrying 146 people crashed on its final approach to Bangalore Airport, killing 88 passengers and 4 crew members.<17>
o 14 September 1993 - Lufthansa Flight 2904, in Warsaw an A320-211 coming from Frankfurt am Main with 70 people crashed into an earth wall at the end of the runway. A fire started in the left wing area and penetrated into the passenger cabin. The copilot and a passenger died.
o 23 August 2000 - Gulf Air Flight 072, an A320-212 crashed into the Persian Gulf on approach to Bahrain Airport. All 143 passengers and crew on board lost their lives.
o 3 May 2006 - Armavia Flight 967, an A320-211 crashed into the Black Sea on second approach to Sochi Airport. All 113 passengers and crew on board lost their lives.<18> <19>
o 17 July 2007 - TAM Flight 3054, an A320 crashed during landing at Congonhas International Airport in São Paulo, Brazil. As of this post, 155 passengers and 10 crew were onboard, but casualties are yet unknown.<20>

[barb162]

19. I keep hearing more problems with Airbus

Crashes included.
Those poor people.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

20. Actually, this one is probably due to light rain + bad pavement.

The newly-laid pavement was supposed to be grooved to improve friction, but it was put into operation without grooves.

[Rick Myers]

24. I NEVER fly on Airbus aircraft!

They have had more than their share of 'software' errors resulting in lost aircraft. It's not that I want to support a US company, it's the safety records of the planes.

[cboy4]

27. Really? The only one that comes to mind is this one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5NXpar4Ouw

[alcibiades_mystery]

25. You work for Boeing?

:shrug:

[Rosa Luxemburg]

28. No

old ladies don't work

[CentralEuropeanDude]

36. EuroTrash!!!! This place sounds like freerepublic...

check your facts please

Airbus A320:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airbus_A320
3000 aircraft delivered
Hull-loss Accidents: 17 with a total of 442 fatalities

Boeing 737:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_737
5000 aircraft delivered
Hull-loss Accidents: 115 with a total of 3272 fatalities

Uh oh, Looks very bad for Boeing!!!!!! We will all die!!!!!
Thank you very much.


Thoughts and prayers for the passengers.

[regnaD kciN]

42. Considering how many passenger-miles are flown by A320s every day...

...17 such accidents over a period of 19 years isn't that awful a record. And we don't have the accident reports, so we can't say what the causes were -- how many of them were clearly attributable to, say, pilot error, as opposed to an equipment malfunction.

In this particular case, it would appear that the likely cause was a combination of three factors:

1) bad weather,
2) an airport runway not properly paved for landings in rain (other planes had skidded off the runway just beforehand), and
3) pilot error (the aircraft came in too fast to be able to stop by the end of the runway).

In such circumstances, it wouldn't matter which modern aircraft you flew. You'd likely get the same results with a similarly-sized 737.

I live in Seattle, and am a big Boeing supporter, but don't see any reason to blame Airbus in this particular case.

[Bluebear]

30. 175 dead :(

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070718/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/brazil_plane_crash

[Eugene]

32. Up to 200 feared dead in Brazil crash

Source: Reuters

Up to 200 feared dead in Brazil crash
Tue Jul 17, 2007 11:53PM EDT

By Mario Andrada

SAO PAULO (Reuters) - A Brazilian airliner crashed and burst
into flames on Tuesday at Brazil's busiest airport, and as many
as 200 people were feared dead in the country's second major
air disaster in less than a year.

Rescue crews said none of the 176 people on board the Airbus
A320 were likely to have survived, according to Sao Paulo state
Gov. Jose Serra. Brazilian news agency Folha quoted the leader
of a rescue crew as saying there could be 200 people dead,
including casualties on the ground.

The plane, flying from Porto Alegre in southern Brazil, lost control
on landing at Sao Paulo's Congonhas airport, which is known for
slippery runways and has become a symbol of the country's
chaotic air transport system.

-snip-

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSN1726359820070718

[Bluebear]

33. Looks like 25 on the ground also dead :(

[sleipnir]

34. Another example of my rule #1 for air travel. Only fly on non-code share US-based airlines.

The safety and integrity of many foreign airlines, especially South American airlines is extremely lacking and quite dangerous.

Despite all we may disagree with our own national based airlines, there have only been two major, fatal incidents in the last 5 1/2 years (with over 200,000 flights flown.)

[oberliner]

35. 176 feared dead in Brazil jet crash

Source: Associated Press

SAO PAULO, Brazil - A Brazilian passenger jet crashed and burst into flames Tuesday after skidding off a runway and barreling across a busy highway, officials said. All 176 people on board were feared dead in what would be Brazil's deadliest air disaster, and at least 15 were killed on the ground.

The death toll officially stood at 40 after the crash of the Airbus-320 owned by TAM airlines, but that number was expected to rise sharply as rescue workers, forensic experts and doctors scoured the wreckage in South America's largest city.

The crash — Brazil's second major disaster in less than a year — happened in a driving rain on a runway at Congonhas airport that had been criticized in the past for being too short. The TAM Airlines jet slammed into a gas station and a building owned by the airline, said Jose Leonardi Mota, a spokesman with airport authority Infraero.

An official said early Wednesday that 25 charred bodies had been recovered from what was left of the plane and that 15 people who were on the ground either died at the scene or in hospitals.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070718/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/brazil_plane_crash;_ylt=ArYOXg_TGuMhlNa6nWmj7GCs0NUE

[Eugene]

37. 195 Feared Dead in Brazil Plane Crash

Source: Associated Press

195 Feared Dead in Brazil Plane Crash

Wednesday July 18, 2007 12:01 PM

By ALAN CLENDENNING

Associated Press Writer

SAO PAULO, Brazil (AP) - Rescue crews pulled dozens of
bodies Wednesday from a Brazilian airliner that crashed and
burst into flames at Brazil's busiest airport, as the number of
people feared dead rose to 195.

The TAM airlines Airbus-320 was en route to Sao Paulo from
Porto Alegre in southern Brazil on Tuesday when it skidded on
the rain-slicked runway in Sao Paulo, barreled across a busy
road and slammed into a gas station and TAM building.

On Wednesday, the airline raised the number of people aboard
the plane by four to 180 and officials said the chance of
anyone surviving was near zero. Sixty-six badly charred bodies
had been pulled from the wreckage by Wednesday, Globo News
television reported.

A Sao Paulo public safety official who spoke on condition of
anonymity because of department policy said 15 bodies had
been recovered from the ground.

-snip-

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-6787779,00.html

[peacebuzzard]

41. anyone know why so many people were on that plane?

I thought airbus 320 passenger capacity was around 148. Must have been a different configuration.
When I first heard the numbers, my immediate thought was it was overcrowded for an airbus 320

[Eugene]

43. An A320 seats 180 in 1-class configuration

according to the Wikipedia entry. The official Airbus site
says 164 seats in a "typical" layout, not counting crew.

The latest reports say that 184 persons were on board
the plane that crashed and at least 15 on the ground
were killed.

[peacebuzzard]

45. I forgot about the 1 class configuration thing.

I have flown that airline (TAM) before and I did forget about the no 1st class thing.

However, I think that now many of the dead are coming from the building the aircraft crashed into. The airbus, however, must not have had an available seat or jumpseat. It was totally jam packed. And, I know at least one of the victims was a lapchild.

Very somber indeed.

[Eugene]

44. BBC: Brazil jet 'too fast on runway'

Source: BBC News

Last Updated: Thursday, 19 July 2007, 12:58 GMT 13:58 UK

Brazil jet 'too fast on runway'

Video footage of the plane that crashed in Brazil on Tuesday,
killing about 200 people, appears to show it moving down the
runway at higher than normal speed.

The Tam Airbus 320 veered off the runway after landing at
Congonhas airport in Sao Paulo, and crashed into a building
before bursting into flames.

-snip-

The new video footage shows the final moments of the Tam
Airlines flight from the southern city of Porto Alegre and
another similar plane which had arrived earlier.

It shows the first aircraft apparently taking 11 seconds to
travel along the runway, while the plane that crashed covers
the same distance in three.

-snip-

Read more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6905499.stm

Map of crash: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6905499.stm#map

---

Source: The Guardian

12.45pm
Footage shows Brazil plane landing at very high speed

Matthew Weaver and agencies
Thursday July 19, 2007
Guardian Unlimited

A video emerged today of a Brazilian Airbus A320 landing at
very high speed at Sao Paulo's domestic airport on Tuesday
evening, before crashing into buildings killing all 186 on
board.

The plane slammed into a petrol station and a TAM Airlines
building after narrowly clearing the airport's perimeter fence
and rush-hour traffic on a surrounding road. Three people
on the ground also died and another 11 were injured.

Air accident investigators said the video, broadcast on the
website of the Spanish newspaper El Pais, suggested that
the pilot of the TAM Airlines plane was trying to get it
airborne again before the crash.

-snip-

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/brazil/story/0,,2130190,00.html

[peacebuzzard]

46. Maybe the pilot had the intention to abort the landing.

Perhaps he was attempting a touch and go that did not work out.

That could explain how he crossed over the bumper to bumper rush hour traffic avenue before plowing into the building across the avenue from the runway.

I am sure this will be professionally analyzed as the facts surface.