Airbus A320 plane crash in São Paulo, Brazil - With Photos

[RCV]

" SAO PAULO, Brazil (CNN) -- Recovery workers picked through smoldering wreckage Wednesday, searching for victims of a fiery Brazilian plane crash that officials said left at least 200 people dead.

The TAM Airlines Airbus A320 was attempting to land in a driving rainstorm Tuesday night at Sao Paulo's Congonhas airport when it struck an airline building and exploded into flames.

The airline said Wednesday that 186 people were on board the plane. TAM released a passenger list and the names of seven employees it said were killed on the ground.

According to the initial investigation, the plane's pilot apparently overshot the runway and tried to take off again, an official said.

Some witnesses said they saw the plane skid across Avenida Washington Luis, a six-lane freeway adjacent to the runway, before it slammed into the building, which served as a depot for TAM's express courier service.

It is unclear how many people were in the building at the time of the crash. Also, the roof of a gas station adjacent to the TAM building was damaged by the fire, but the station and its gas pumps remained intact.

Victims' loved ones were seen in the airport weeping and clutching each other in their grief brought on by the disaster, which has renewed lingering questions about the airport's runways.

Witnesses said the plane skidded across a major road during the city's rush hour.

"We saw the plane go straight down the runway," said witness Paulo Barros according to the Brazilian newspaper O Globo. "It didn't manage to stop and went into the avenue. It went by so fast that we thought it was taking off."

Authorities have ruled out any chance that anyone on board the airliner survived. It will be difficult to recover the bodies because of the massive destruction caused by intense fire that officials said reached 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit (1000 C).

Investigators will look into whether Brazilian aviation authorities rushed to reopen the airport's recently resurfaced runway, which had been closed for several weeks for repairs.

Flight JJ3054 was arriving at Sao Paulo's Congonhas Airport from Porto Alegre in southern Brazil, the airline said. TAM Airlines said there were 186 people on board -- including 18 TAM employees, 6 crewmembers and 162 passengers."




I happen to live 2 blocks away from the crash site, unfortunately, and I took some pictures of the tragic event. It was the biggest plane crash ever in Brazil..

This is the view from my house right after it happened

http://img105.imagevenue.com/loc726/th_73991_DSC04682_122_726lo.jpg (http://img105.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=73991_DSC04682_122_726lo.jpg)http://img9.imagevenue.com/loc1127/th_73993_DSC04684_122_1127lo.jpg (http://img9.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=73993_DSC04684_122_1127lo.jpg)http://img21.imagevenue.com/loc718/th_74000_DSC04692_122_718lo.jpg (http://img21.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=74000_DSC04692_122_718lo.jpg)
http://img156.imagevenue.com/loc1059/th_74005_DSC04679_122_1059lo.jpg (http://img156.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=74005_DSC04679_122_1059lo.jpg)http://img121.imagevenue.com/loc1085/th_74010_DSC04713_122_1085lo.jpg (http://img121.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=74010_DSC04713_122_1085lo.jpg)http://img154.imagevenue.com/loc1086/th_74015_DSC04727_122_1086lo.jpg (http://img154.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=74015_DSC04727_122_1086lo.jpg)
http://img185.imagevenue.com/loc352/th_74021_DSC04735_122_352lo.jpg (http://img185.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=74021_DSC04735_122_352lo.jpg)http://img129.imagevenue.com/loc174/th_74026_DSC04742_122_174lo.jpg (http://img129.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=74026_DSC04742_122_174lo.jpg)http://img108.imagevenue.com/loc765/th_74028_DSC04745_122_765lo.jpg (http://img108.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=74028_DSC04745_122_765lo.jpg)

This one was 6 hours after the accident, a lot of silence, rain falling, and the smoke.. horrible scene.

http://img18.imagevenue.com/loc974/th_74029_DSC04752_122_974lo.jpg (http://img18.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=74029_DSC04752_122_974lo.jpg)

Some I took this morning of the crash site, the first of them is the view from my house when I woke up =(

http://img145.imagevenue.com/loc821/th_74424_DSC04754_122_821lo.jpg (http://img145.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=74424_DSC04754_122_821lo.jpg)
http://img37.imagevenue.com/loc686/th_74430_DSC04758_122_686lo.jpg (http://img37.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=74430_DSC04758_122_686lo.jpg)http://img156.imagevenue.com/loc1184/th_74440_DSC04760_122_1184lo.jpg (http://img156.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=74440_DSC04760_122_1184lo.jpg)http://img168.imagevenue.com/loc133/th_74446_DSC04763_122_133lo.jpg (http://img168.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=74446_DSC04763_122_133lo.jpg)
http://img105.imagevenue.com/loc736/th_74449_DSC04774_122_736lo.jpg (http://img105.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=74449_DSC04774_122_736lo.jpg)http://img128.imagevenue.com/loc382/th_74450_DSC04778_122_382lo.jpg (http://img128.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=74450_DSC04778_122_382lo.jpg)http://img45.imagevenue.com/loc1130/th_74452_DSC04780_122_1130lo.jpg (http://img45.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=74452_DSC04780_122_1130lo.jpg)
http://img176.imagevenue.com/loc501/th_74459_DSC04784_122_501lo.jpg (http://img176.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=74459_DSC04784_122_501lo.jpg)http://img28.imagevenue.com/loc819/th_74463_DSC04788_122_819lo.jpg (http://img28.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=74463_DSC04788_122_819lo.jpg)http://img43.imagevenue.com/loc904/th_74468_DSC04789_122_904lo.jpg (http://img43.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=74468_DSC04789_122_904lo.jpg)

[Z3uS]

I was told 174 people were already confirmed dead. :(

And because of the pan american games it's not even taking big part in the news.

[saadie]

damn :( .... its alwyas sad to hear another plane going down
RIP

the flight should've ben diverted in such conditions .. ohh well

[5vz-fe]

^They should also have a runway with proper water channels.

[Zot09]

Sad sad news...rest in peace to everyone who passed...

[a007apl]

Videos about :(
_____________________________

http://video.globo.com/Videos/Player/Noticias/0,,GIM703185-7823-CONGONHAS+LIBERA+IMAGENS+DE+AIRBUS+DA+TAM,00.html

[Pokiou]

RIP to the people that died.

[cooperluke]

Very tragic accident, but it is strange, I received a powerpoint with lots of accidents TAM had last years, but were ignored! :shock:

[a007apl]

http://www.elpais.com/graficos/internacional/Accidente/aereo/Brasil/elpepuint/20070718elpepuint_1/Ges/

[TNT]

RIP, for those who pasted.

but isn't that the one that Airbus is putting the lively-hood of the company on.

[pitfield]

Very tragic accident indeed :? RIP

BTW, that happened just the day before I had to take a plane, and as scared as I am everytime I have to fly - quite often lately, but still scary - imagine how I was this morning when we landed at Barcelona... :? :?

At least they didn't deserve it.

Didn't they say something about other near miss accidents and them knowing this was likely to happen.

I shit my bed every time I go on a plane, irrational.

RIP

[acmarttin]

but isn't that the one that Airbus is putting the lively-hood of the company on.

Yeah I think the A320 is a big seller for them. I was under the impression from the media that the runway was too short for those slippery conditions.