Silva Promises Brazil Plane Crash Probe

A TAM jet prepares to land at Congonhas airport, as smoke rises from the site where a TAM airlines jet crashed Tuesday killing at least 189 people, in Sao Paulo, Thursday, July 19, 2007. (AP Photo/Andre Penner) (Andre Penner - AP)

The heat on the government increased when a TV network showed one of Silva's aides, Marco Aurelio Garcia, making an obscene gesture that was widely interpreted as a reaction of glee as he watched a report that one of the jet's two thrust reversers had been deactivated four days before the crash.

The reversers throw the force of jet engines forward to help planes slow while landing. While it's not unusual for twin-engine planes to use only one reverser when the other is disabled, Brazilian aviation consultant Elias Gedeon said "it is possible that the thrust reverser could have played a role" in the crash.

Brazilian, French and U.S. investigators say it is too early to say what caused the crash. Recorded cockpit conversations are being analyzed in the United States and first results are not expected until next week.

Nevertheless, Garcia quickly issued a statement that he was "offended" when he learned of the mechanical problem, not only because so many people died but because "important sectors of the media didn't hesitate to blame the government for the tragedy in Sao Paulo only a few hours after the accident."

Brazilian media and opposition politicians insisted Friday that Garcia's gesture, broadcast repeatedly on Brazilian television, showed the aide was pleased that political heat might be deflected away from Silva's government.

"This attitude is unacceptable and offends all Brazilians while they are still distraught over the nation's worst aviation tragedy," said Tarso Jeiressati, president of the Social Democratic Party.

Shares of TAM fell 2.4 percent on Sao Paulo's Bovespa exchange Friday.

Hours after Globo TV revealed the thrust reverser problem, TAM confirmed it had been properly deactivated and that government procedures allow jets in such condition to fly if they are inspected within 10 days.

Airport video showed TAM Flight 3054 speeding down the tarmac during a landing attempt more than four times as fast as other planes around the same time, raising the possibility of pilot or mechanical error.

Brazilian officials have said the pilot accelerated instead of slowing down after touching down, possibly indicating he was trying to get airborne again after realizing he would not be able to stop.

The Congonhas airport recently resurfaced its runway to provide better braking in rainy conditions. But the new surface had not dried enough for deep grooves to be cut in the tarmac to increase the traction of plane wheels.

Until Tuesday, Brazil's deadliest air disaster was the 154 people killed last September when a Gol Airlines Boeing 737 collided with a small jet over the Amazon rain forest.

___

Associated Press writers Slobodon Lekic in Brussels, Belgium; Vivian Sequera in Brasilia and Stan Lehman in Sao Paulo contributed to this report.