Salon :: Tech & Business

Ask the Pilot: Tough questions after a deadly catastrophe in Brazil. When is a runway "too short"? And, are some of our busiest airports unsafe?

"Brazil's worst-ever crash." Seems like only yesterday I was typing those words. It was last September, to be precise, after a Gol airlines 737 collided with a U.S.-registered business jet over the Amazon jungle, killing 155 people. The accident brought heavy scrutiny upon Brazil's civil aviation infrastructure. Air traffic in the country has grown tremendously over the past 10 years, putting intense pressure on its air traffic control network, airports and terminals. The last thing Brazil needed was another, even deadlier crash. <p>Unfortunately, on July 17, an Airbus A320 operated by TAM Linhas Aereas crashed on landing at São Paolo's Congonhas Airport. The twin-engine jet skidded off the rain-slicked runway, slammed into a row of buildings (including a Shell gas station and one of TAM's cargo offices) and exploded. All 187 passengers and crewmembers perished, as did at least four people on the ground. As of this writing the exact death toll is unconfirmed and may climb. Already the accident is not only Brazil's deadliest ever, but the deadliest ever in all of South America. <p>...</p><img src="http://feeds.salon.com/~r/salon/tech/~4/137813832" height="1" width="1"/>

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