Sentence | George Hatcher's Air Flight Disaster

Gol: US Pilots Retrial Upholds Conviction, No Jailtime

GJHatcher — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 15:25:21 +0000

Joseph Lepore of Bay Shore, New York, and Jan Paladino were flying the Embraer Legacy 600 executive jet that collided with a Boeing 737 operated by Gol Lineas Aereas Intelligentes SA. Lepore and Paladino guided the plane they were flying to safely while the larger jet crashed into the jungle, killing all aboard. The pilots were convicted in 2011 and sentenced to 52 months in prison because according to prosecutors, the aircraft’s anti-collision system was turned off for almost one hour. The pilots deny wrongdoing, and say the TCAS system was never off and suggest the other plane’s TCAS may not have been working. The NTSB blames the collision on the Brazilian ATC. Air force sergeant Jomarcelo Fernandes dos Santos was sentenced two years ago to 14 months in jail for failing to take action when he realized that the Legacy’s anti-collision system was off.

The case was retried in Brazil Monday and upheld; in fact, the jail time that had last year been commuted to community service was eliminated. In lieu of jail time or community service, now the pilots will only be required scheduled check-ins with Brazilian parole authorities.

British Airways Says No Means No Flying High While Flying High, Drunk Businessman Does UK Time for Drunk and Disorderly

GJHatcher — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 00:42:20 +0000

Convicted of being drunk on an aircraft, and sentenced at Isleworth Crown Court in west London on September 23 after getting drunk on beer and bourbon with friends in Phoenix, and drunker aboard a British Airways Phoenix-London Boeing, Mortgage consultant Timothy Bradley propositioned a woman, shouted, verbally threatened the pilot, and brandished glass.

Judge Richard McGregor-Johnson was not amused.

In business class, no less.

He was arrested when flight 288 arrived at Heathrow.

He’s paying for it now, and is one month into his three month sentence.

I only have one thing to say to Timothy Bradley (who may have to look into another line of work when he gets out.)

Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.

Mark Twain

The post British Airways Says No Means No Flying High While Flying High, Drunk Businessman Does UK Time for Drunk and Disorderly first appeared on George Hatcher's Air Flight Disaster.

British Court Sentences Woman in Airborne Biting case

GJHatcher — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 18:28:03 +0000

Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Fred Seggie

What: Thomson Boeing 767-300, en route from Manchester to to Punta Cana Dominican Republic
Where: Bermuda
When: Occurred:Nov 5th 2010
Sentenced: Aug 19th 2011
Who: 45 year old British Citizen
Why: While Charity worker Carol Close’s flight had been delayed for 30 hours in Manchester with technical problems, the depressed woman passed the time by drinking beer and two mixed drinks. Probably not a good idea.

Six hours into the November 5, 2010 flight, the woman attacked her husband and other individuals aboard the flight. Her husband moved to another seat to get away from her, and Close then bit and kicked a flight attendant (or two) who attempted to restrain her. Then she started yelling.

The captain diverted to Bermuda where Carol Close was arrested.

On Aug 19th 2011, Close pleaded guilty to “two charges of assault and one of affray.”

British Court sentenced her to a suspended 6-months jail term, £2700 British Pounds. (£200 compensation to cabin crew, plus £2,476 to Bermuda Police)

The post British Court Sentences Woman in Airborne Biting case first appeared on George Hatcher's Air Flight Disaster.

Part Two of the Gol Sentences, in which ATC is Accountable

GJHatcher — Fri, 20 May 2011 14:08:59 +0000

We recently mentioned when the pilots of the two US pilots were sentenced to US community service for the 2006 Midair collision between a GOL Boeing and a business jet.

In addition to the pilots, the Air Traffic Controller Lucivando de Alencar was sentenced. Judge Murilo Mendes revoked Alencar’s license, and sentenced him to three years of community service.

Flight 1907, en route from Manaus to Rio, disappeared from radar over Mato Grosso when it collided in mid-air with an Embraer Legacy 600 business jet piloted by the two pilots who were sentenced earlier this week. The Legacy jet landed safely at Cachimbo Airport but 148 passengers and 6 crew members died in the Boeing that crashed into the Amazon.

The post Part Two of the Gol Sentences, in which ATC is Accountable first appeared on George Hatcher's Air Flight Disaster.