Police charge 10 people in Brazil's worst plane crash



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Police will indict 10 former government, airline and airport officials, and seek sanctions for Airbus employees, in Brazil`s worst plane crash that killed 199 people in Sao Paulo in 2007, a top investigator said Wednesday.

The indictments include the former heads of the National Civil Aviation Agency (NCAA) and of Infraero airport management company, as well as the security chief of TAM airline, police commissioner Antonio Carlos Menezes told reporters.

The announcement follows a 16-month, 2,500-page report on the accident by the Public Safety Ministry`s Criminal Investigation unit, which, according to Friday media reports, blamed the accident on the pilots, Airbus, the airline and the airport authorities.

The investigators concluded the NCAA, which did not close Sao Paulo`s Congonhas airport on the night of July 17, 2007 despite heavy rains, was primarily to blame for allowing flights to land despite the bad weather.

The TAM airline Airbus 320 carrying 186 people overran the runway while landing, crossed a road and slammed into an airport building. All plane occupants and 13 people on the ground perished in the fireball.

The probe faulted airport authorities for failing to ensure that the runway was properly constructed with grooves to drain away excess water.

Investigators blamed Europe`s Airbus aircraft manufacturer for failing to provide adequate alarms to signal to the pilots that the braking system was failing, and Tam airline for not properly training the pilots, who failed to act correctly in the emergency.

Menezes said that under Brazilian law an airline company cannot be held responsible for a plane crash, but that police would ask justice officials to find out who at Airbus is responsible for supplying aircraft alarm systems.

He said the police report of the accident would be presented in court next week and indictments would be sought against the 10 suspects.

Those blamed for the accident could be charged with endangering transport safety and manslaughter, facing up to three years in prison.



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