Phil Boyer, president of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) and the International Council of Aircraft Owner and Pilot Associations (IAOPA) recently sent appeals to United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Brazil’s minister of justice, Márcio Thomaz Bastos, asking for their assistance in securing the release of two U.S. pilots who have been detained in Brazil for seven weeks.

“These U.S. citizen pilots should be treated fairly under the law, and the U.S. State Department must take action to obtain their release and their return to the U.S,” Boyer wrote to Secretary Rice. “AOPA is not taking a position on the accident or the investigative process; however, it is critical that due process be followed.”
The pilots have been held since a midair collision on September 29 between their Embraer Legacy business jet and a Gol Airlines Boeing 737.

Boyer’s letters pointed out that the pilots have been detained without being charged with a crime, which violates international aviation treaties.

He also expressed concern that the pilots might be in jeopardy of being held in Brazil indefinitely because, according to media reports, the investigation is expected to take 10 more months to complete.

“This tragic accident saddened the civil aviation community worldwide and has galvanized us to discover and correct its causes,” Boyer wrote to Bastos. “But, detaining the two pilots will only hinder the investigation.”

The Brazilian government is conducting a criminal investigation concurrently with the accident investigation. It seized the passports of the two U.S. citizens flying the Legacy jet to prevent them from leaving the country during the investigation.

“The presumption of criminal intent in conjunction with an aircraft accident investigation will stifle and thwart the objective of the investigation,” Boyer said.

He also noted that since no criminal charges have been brought against the pilots in the accident, “there is apparently little evidence that would indicate a criminal act has been committed, [and] therefore they should be released.”

With nearly 410,000 members, AOPA is the world’s largest civil aviation association, working to protect the interests of general aviation. Nearly two-thirds of all U.S. pilots are members of AOPA.

IAOPA is a federation of 64 autonomous, nongovernmental, national general aviation organizations. IAOPA is the official voice of GA before international bodies such as the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). IAOPA headquarters are in Frederick, Maryland (USA), with regional vice presidents in Switzerland, South Africa, Colombia, Brazil, and Japan.

FMI: www.aopa.org