Jet Crashes, Explodes in Brazil

Yet another disaster in Brazil's troubled aviation system

(NEWSER) - At least six people were killed yesterday when a private plane crashed into a residential district of Sao Paolo in the latest tragedy to rock Brazil's crisis-ridden air transport system. A 10-seater Lear Jet operated by an air taxi company had just taken off for Rio de Janeiro when it plummeted into a neighborhood in the north of the city. More»

Frantic cockpit transcripts point to mechanical error in crash that killed 200

(NEWSER) - Panicked pilots of a doomed Brazilian plane are heard struggling to control the aircraft speeding down a rain-slicked runway in transcripts of a cockpit tape released yesterday. "Slow down! Turn, turn, turn!" screams the co-pilot. "I can't," says the pilot. "Oh my God! Oh my God!" The plane crashed, killing 200 people. More»

Mayor must still sign it before it becomes law

(NEWSER) - We're here, not queer, get used to it? Sao Paolo's city council has just passed legislation designating an official Heterosexual Pride Day to be held on the third Sunday of each December, the AP reports. Mayor Gilberto Kassab must sign the bill before it goes into effect, however, and he hasn't said if he will. The bill's author, Carlos Apolinario, insists it's "not anti-gay, but a protest against the privileges the gay community enjoys." More»

Problems at huge hydroelectric dam spread beyond border

(NEWSER) - Trouble at the world’s largest hydroelectric dam has millions in Brazil without power tonight. Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro—the nation’s largest cities, with combined metropolitan populations well beyond 20 million—are affected, as are many smaller towns. An official at the Itaipu dam tells the BBC that it has lost its entire hydroelectric output. CBS reported over the weekend that hackers are beyond recent blackouts, a charge Brazil’s government denied. More»

(NEWSER) - A French airline-workers union has urged Air France crews to boycott long-haul Airbus jets until new speed sensors are installed, the Times of London reports. “To prevent a repeat” of the Flight 447 disaster, the Alter union said, “we call on flight deck and cabin crew to refuse all flights aboard the A330 and A340 series which have not been modified.” Alter represents 10% of Air France crews. More»