Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva flies with a smart crew. They know it’s too dangerous, so the jet he’s on is not allowed to fly with one of its reverse thrusters deactivated. If it is not safe enough for him, why doesn’t the safety regulation apply to commercial flights such as the TAM airliner that crashed and killed 199 people last month? Isn’t it just as dangerous for them too?
The regulation that applies to Silva’s plane is ” a security rule for transporting the nation’s highest executive. “Air force commander Brig. Juniti Saito told a congressional panel during the investigation.
The problem is that one of the reverse thrusters used to slow the planes down during landings — was deactivated on that terribleTAM Airbus A320 crash. TAM Linhas Aereas SA said that according to government-approved safety measures. the plane was safe to fly.
Tell that to the nearly 200 fatalities of the crash: all 187 aboard plus 12 people on the ground.
Speculation as to the cause is currently focused the notoriously short. slick runway and the possibility that the jet’s throttles were set in the wrong position.
Congresswoman Luciana Genro said, “It’s obvious that no human life is less important than the life of the president of the Republic. The air force should try to stop Airbuses from flying with the reverse thruster deactivated.”
LATAM Brasil flight JJ-3585 had to return and make an emergency landing at Rio Branco International Airport, Brazil, on November 11th.
