Representatives With FAA, Engine Manufacturer Head To Scene

The National Transportation Safety Board tells Aero-News it is assisting the government of Brazil in its investigation of Tuesday's crash of an Airbus A320 in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

As ANN reported, the accident occurred when a TAM Airlines Airbus A320 (Brazil registration PR-MBK) en route from Porto Alegre to Sao Paulo, while landing at Congonhas Airport, departed airport boundaries and struck a building.  Fire ensued on impact.

The NTSB cites reports stating about 174 persons were on board.

NTSB Chairman Mark V. Rosenker has designated senior investigator William English as the US Accredited Representative. He will be accompanied by representatives from the Federal Aviation Administration, and International Aero Engines of East Hartford, CT.

Brazil's Aeronautical Accident Prevention and Investigation Center (CENIPA) will release all information on the progress of the investigation.

Preliminary investigation efforts have focused on the condition of the runway at the congested airport. CBS News reports that in February, a Brazilian judge granted a court order forbidding some aircraft types from landing at Congonhas, due to inadequate surface grooving and improper drainage that led rainwater to pool on the runway surface.

There were also concerns about runway length -- the judge said the longest runway had to be extended another 1,275 feet to safely accomodate those planes. Congonhas has two parallel runways -- 17R/35L at 6,365 feet long and 17L/35R at 4,708 feet long.

The stop affected Fokker 100s, and Boeing 737-800s and 737-700s -- aircraft very close in size to the A320. That order was later revoked by a second judge, but not before the airport shut down 18 times due to flooded runways.

FMI: www.ntsb.gov, www.cenipa.aer.mil.br/