Aero-News: Quote of the Day

ANN's Quote of the Day usually derives from current news, though we reserve the right to pick quotes out of history that have a bearing on the day's events and issues.

Sometimes, you'll find them timely and in keeping with the content of the day's news... and sometimes, they'll just be thought-provoking.

Reader suggestions and comments are welcome... and if particularly intriguing, timely, or poignant, may themselves become future Quotes of the Day.

Let us hear from you, folks!

Aero-News Quote of the Day

"We know that the transponder was turned off. A pilot only turns it off when he doesn't want to be identified. The Legacy could have turned it off to try some air tricks far from the eyes of the air traffic controllers ... but it also could have been a case of mechanical failure."

Source: Brazilian Airport Authority Chief Jose Carlos Pereira, in a somewhat bizarre statement implying the two American pilots of an Embraer Legacy 600 bizjet suspected of colliding with a Brazilian Gol Airlines 737 Friday may have deliberately disabled their plane's transponder before the accident. Brazil's O Globo claims pilot Joseph Lepore and co-pilot Jan Paladino remained at 37,000 feet after a controller told them to descend to FL360. The Gol 737 was also cruising at 37,000 feet when, authorities suspect, the two aircraft collided... and the 737 plunged into the Amazon jungle. All 155 persons onboard the airliner died; the Embraer's crew was able to make a successful emergency landing.

FMI: www.dac.gov.br/principalIng/index.asp