A Tragedy Foretold: Flight 3054- What is the True Story Behind this Docuseries?
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Netflix’s documentary A Tragedy Foretold: Flight 3054 is a co-production between the United States and Brazil. Consisting of three episodes, the docuseries traces the TAM Airlines 3054 flight disaster that happened on July 17, 2007. It is also considered to be the worst aviation accident in Brazil’s history, as it left 199 people dead.
The docuseries shows that some families were unable to bury their family members and loved ones as their bodies were completely pulverized during the crash. Some even found out a whole month after the accident. So, what is the true story behind this accident? In this article, we will explore it all.
What Happened on Flight 3054?
On July 17, 2007, an Airbus A320 operated by TAM didn’t land properly at the Congonhas Airport in São Paulo. It collided with Washington Luís Avenue’s TAM building and gas station as it overran the runway. Recent renovations had left the runway wet and lacking the grooving that could help it brake effectively. This caused an explosion that ended the lives of 199 people.
Of these 199 people, 181 were passengers, six were crew members, and 12 were individuals who were present on the ground and outside the plane. When the tragedy occurred, Brazil was undergoing, as per Time magazine, an “Aviation Blackout” which was marked by flight cancellations, delays, and chaos.
There were strikes and protests as well, and all these affected millions of passengers. The root cause of it all was budget cuts, which resulted in a lack of investment in airport infrastructure as well as air traffic control. But this wasn't the first or only devastating accident.
Before Flight 3054, there was the Gol Flight 1907, which collided with another aircraft en route from Manaus to Brasília on Sept. 29, 2006, killing everyone onboard. This led to some air traffic controllers being suspended for additional investigation regarding potential errors.
With no backups present, the other Controllers had to cover for them, which put additional strain on an already bad situation. Due to this, many believe that Flight 3054’s incident was foreshadowed.
What was the Cause of the TAM Flight 3054 Disaster?
As per Time Magazine, CENIPA, the Center for Investigation and Prevention of Aeronautical Accidents, concluded that the tragedy was a result of “human and operational errors.” As per the report, “The pilots placed only one of the engine thrust levers in the idle position, while the other remained in climb mode. This caused the aircraft’s system to interpret that they were attempting to take off again, not brake.”
Also, “A final segment of the cockpit voice recorder captured the pilots noting that only one of the controls was functioning properly.” Another factor that contributed to this was the absence of “An audible alert for throttle misconfiguration." Additionally, there were "flaws in crew training, which relied heavily on online courses.”
To make matters worse, the co-pilot didn’t have too much experience flying an A320 aircraft, and no regulations forbade landings with an inoperative thrust reverser.
Who were held Responsible for the TAM Flight 3054 Disaster?
CENIPA did not name those responsible. But its report led to further investigations by the Civil Police and Federal Police. In total, 11 individuals were formally accused- employees of the National Civil Aviation Agency (Anac), Infraero (the airport authority), and TAM Airlines.
The Federal Police, who took over the investigation, indicted only the two pilots: Kleyber Lima and Henrique Stefanini Di Sacco. However, prosecutor Rodrigo de Grandis indicted three other people: Marco Aurélio dos Santos de Miranda e Castro, TAM’s Director of Flight Safety; Alberto Fajerman, the company’s Vice President of Operations, and Anac director Denise Abreu.
Time Magazine reports that, “Fajerman was acquitted due to lack of evidence. Denise Abreu and Marco Aurélio were charged with intentional homicide… but in 2015, all three defendants were acquitted.”
What Changed in the Aviation Industry After the Tragedy?
One major change that happened was that visual and audio warning systems alerting pilots of possible throttle problems were installed. At Congonhas Airport, the runway was resurfaced with transverse grooving to aid water drainage and reduce the risks of skidding.
Moreover, the usable length of the runway was reduced to 1,660 meters for safety purposes. Also, the National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC) established basic training standards for braking system failures.
A Tragedy Foretold: Flight 3054 is streaming on Netflix.
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