Aircraft accident in Brazil: Boeing vs. Legacy?

Abstract

Accidents in the air represent a small portion of the flights registered worldwide. Airplane collisions in the air are rare, In September 2006, a Boeing 737-800 collided in midair with a Legacy Jet. This was the largest accident registered in the history of Brazilian aviation. This paper explores the aspects of the press coverage of the accident. Data and information reported in the media about the accident from September 2007 to August 2007 were collected and discussed. The media coverage called attention to two unusual aspects: politicization of the discussion, culminating in the opening of congressional inquiries and the concomitance of the police investigations interfering in the work of the agencies responsible for the official accident investigation. Emphasis on assigning guilt and establishing penalties may close the window for the opportunity for the discussion on the improvement of air safety. In Brazil, political imperatives and organizational pressures have interfered and the possibilities of organizations learning from the accident have been drastically curtailed.