Runway reopens at Brazil's airport after crash

(AP)
Updated: 2007-07-28 04:25

SAO PAULO, Brazil -- Authorities reopened the main runway at the country's busiest airport on Friday for the first time since a TAM jetliner crashed there on July 17, killing 199 people.

A TAM flight was the first to touch down on the 1,939-meter (6,362-foot) main runway, but the airline has imposed new restrictions since the crash, saying it will only use Congonhas airport when it is not raining.

The airport had been restricted to a 1,436-meter (4,711-foot) backup since the crash while investigators tried to determine if the main runway's condition played a role in the accident. Both runways are relatively short by modern standards.

Flight 3054, an Airbus A320, landed in driving rain and seemed to accelerate rather than slowing on the main runway before crashing into buildings at 175 kph (109 mph) and exploding.

The accident created more chaos in Brazil's air travel industry, led to the ouster of the defense minister and prompted a safety advisory from Airbus, though authorities have not yet publicized what they learned from the plane's data recorders.

Airbus spokeswoman Barbara Kracht would not specify the nature of the information from the data recorder and said Thursday that the advisory did not imply any conclusion about the causes of the crash. She said the notification to airlines stressed the need for pilots to follow proper landing procedures.

A pilot for a major international airline with a fleet of A320s said Friday that his company had just reminded pilots to pull the thrust lever to idle during the landing flare.

Leaving the throttles even slightly open on the A320 prevents speed-cutting spoilers and the auto-braking system from activating, said the pilot, who declined to be identified because of the airline's policy.

Earlier speculation about factors in the crash have focused on a slick, short runway and a deactivated reverse thruster on the plane. TAM Linhas Aereas SA has said the thruster was turned off in keeping with proper maintenance regulations.

Defense Minister Nelson Jobim, appointed two days earlier by President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, on Friday visited the main runway, the crash site and the morgue where bodies were still being identified.

Jobim plans to review whether Brazil's two primary aviation authorities should be restructured amid criticism they failed to improve air infrastructure to keep up with a sharp increase in flights. He vowed to stress passenger safety over comfort.

Silva fired Jobim's predecessor, Waldir Pires, on Wednesday.

The crash, combined with a radar failure on July 21, led to mass cancelations and delays lasting days after flights were diverted from Congonhas.

Delays continued Friday, with TAM canceling dozens of flights for the third day in a row and diverting others to Sao Paulo's international airport.



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