Originally Posted by ztullz
For the next link, try a Brazilian newspaper.....there are many more details available.
My thoughts and prayers are with the families, friends, and loved ones of the 154 passengers who lost their lives on the Gol 737. Thankfully the # has come down by one - it was originally thought 155, but apparently there was a double booking in the initial numbers.
If you could please post a few paragraphs from a Brazilian newspaper here, it would be much appreciated. Portuguese is not one of the languages I am fluent in.
I wonder ..... what would happen if it was in your country.....and the pilots involved were non-americans ?? Would they be questioned ? Would they have to stay in the country to help in the investigation ? Would they be freed ASAP ?
If such an accident had happened in the US, the pilots would be questioned by the NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board) and FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) -- but it would not be a criminal investigation.
I'm certain they would be asked to stay around to help with the investigation, but they would be free, so to speak.
I'm not aware of any pilots in the US that have been criminally prosecuted in past accidents where mistakes have been made in the US (please correct me if I'm wrong). Just recently we had an accident here with a regional jet where the aircraft took off from the wrong runway. The co-pilot, who was in command of the aircraft during take-off survived and I doubt he'll be facing any criminal charges.
On the other hand, there is civil litigation underway, and I believe the co-pilot has been named a defendant in one of the cases.
SDF_Traveler