The relatives of those who died in Brazil’s worst air accident ever are mad at recent news that the American pilots, whose Legacy executive jet collided with the Boeing 737, might soon be free to go back home.
They seem to think that there are economic interests and pressure behind the decision to let the pilots Joe Lepore and Jan Paladino go.
"Whose interest is that only the Brazilian controllers be blamed as culprit of this sad episode? Will it be possible that financial interests are bigger and more important than the real facts?, " they ask in a message released today to the press and signed by the Association of Family and Friends of the Victims of Flight 1907.
The note urges authorities to give the families answers and allow them among other things to access the information in the Legacy’s black boxes, which contain data and conversation records.
Their main complaint is that they always have to be begging for information instead of having these data at their disposal when they want them.
The Association text also casts doubts on the qualifications and experience of the American pilots, whose passports have been retained by the Brazilian authorities:
"We believe that the pilots in command of a plane are always experienced and prepared to take decisions and necessary action in any unexpected situation. That’s what differentiates the experienced from the inexperienced, because the inexperienced ones don’t know what to do in these occasions and wait for instructions."
Meanwhile in Mato Grosso state, where the Boeing 737 crashed killing all 154 aboard, more than 100 pages containing transcripts of Lepore and Paladino conversations during their flight from São José dos Campos to Brasília and then on their way to Manaus are being translated into Portuguese.
This material that was with the Brazilian Air Force and was given to the Mato Grosso Federal Police by court order will be analyzed by that police.
The Mato Grosso federal authorities say now that they expect to conclude this work next week. The next step will be to once again interview the American pilots. It seems now that this will not happen before December 13.
On Tuesday, November 28, federal police chief Renato Sayão, who is in charge of the criminal investigation into the accident, had said that the two pilots would be allowed to go back home even if there were still doubts about their culpability in the tragedy.