Associated Press, "Pilots federation
criticizes possible charges against U.S. pilots in Brazil air crash"
An international pilots association criticized a federal police recommendation
that two American pilots be prosecuted in connection with Brazil's
worst air disaster. "The International Federation of Air Line
Pilots' Associations (IFALPA) is outraged to learn that the Brazilian
Policia Federal have recommended prosecution of Joseph Lepore and Jan
Paladino," the federation said in a statement issued late Thursday.
Lepore and Paladino were the pilots of an Embraer Legacy 600 executive
jet that collided with Gol airlines Boeing 737 over the Amazon rain
forest on Sept. 29. The Gol jet crashed, killing all 154 people aboard,
while the Legacy jet, owned by Ronkonkoma, N.Y.-based ExcelAire, landed
safely.A federal police investigation found that the pilots' "lack
of caution" played a role in the crash and recommended prosecutors
bring charges against them "for placing a vessel or aircraft in
jeopardy."
The pilots federation,
however, cited international regulations that state there can be no criminal
liability without intent and added that charges were premature because an independent
technical investigation into the accident has not concluded. The Chertsey-England
based federation says it represents more than 100,000 pilot worldwide.
