I like many others have expressed am concerned over the developments surrounding the mid-air in Brazil, particularly the news that the government has confiscated the passports of the US flight crew. I'm even more concerned that with recent news regarding congressional resignations and scandals, that this topic might fall out of public (and congressional) thinking. It was suggested (on another forum) that a petition might help support these guys, so I put this together.
If you are willing, please add your information in this thread or by sending PM or email. Once a suitable number of "signatures" has been collected, I will forward the information to each representative/senator. Please include all of the information requested: Full Name, City/State (street address optional), Email address, Pilot credentials. If you have any better wording or would like to add comments, please feel free to do so as well.
________________________________________________
To the Honorable _________,
United States Senate / United States House of Representatives
We the undersigned aviation professionals would like to express our concerns over the increasingly troublesome situation developing in Brazil regarding the involvement of two United States pilots in a tragic mid-air collision between a US registered aircraft and a Brazilian airliner, Gol airlines Flight 1907, on September 29, 2006.
The pilots, Captain Joseph Lepore, 42, of Bay Shore, NY and Captain Jan Paladino, 34, of Westhampton Beach, NY have had their passports confiscated by Brazilian authorities, and have essentially been detained pending the results of the investigation.
We the undersigned are deeply concerned over the high potential for these pilots to receive unfair treatment and prejudice during the course of the investigation, especially given the large loss of life as a result of this accident. Media reports would seem to indicate that the Brazilian authorities are not willing to conduct a thorough investigation of the details (which could months or even years). Instead recent events indicate only interest in releasing unwarranted speculation to allow an unjust public trial of these pilots.
We are additionally concerned with the potential prosecution of these citizens for manslaughter, and the repercussions that this could have on US pilots flying worldwide, especially considering that accidents often as a result of many different factors, all leading up to the final disaster.
While we believe that active, honest and willful participation in an accident investigation is required by pilots of any nation, we feel that the ongoing detention of Captain Lepore and Captain Paladin is unwarranted, especially given the fact that a formal investigation can take months or even years to determine the probable cause(s).
We respectfully request that you convene a formal inquiry on the behalf of Captains Lepore and Paladino to ensure a fair and open investigation. We also request that your office use all available and necessary means to expedite their return to the United States and their families, so that they too may begin the process of coping with these traumatic events and return to some normalcy.
Thank you for your prompt action regarding this matter. We look forward to receiving a reply.
Sincerely,
We the undersigned.
________________________________________________
Joshua N. Shields
Street Address
City, State and Zip
FAA Airline Transport Pilot
[email protected]
Add your information below in the same format as shown above by replying to this thread. If you don't want to post your info publicly, please PM me or email it to the address shown. At the very least please include your full name, city state and zipcode, and your certificate types.
~Josh