Back in September 2006 I read about an air crash between a Brazilian 737 and an Embraer Legacy 600–an American registered business jet. It happened at 37,000 over the jungles of Northern Brazil. The 737 spiraled to the ground killing all aboard while the biz jet landed safely.
What made the story more interesting was the presence of Joe Sharkey, who writes about travel and aviation for the New York Times and ended up writing about the crash. And then I forgot about it.
I’ve just read a more detailed account of what actually happened in Vanity Fair. This is a long article, but if you have any interest in aviation it’s a must read.
Amazingly, the very instruments that should make flying safer brought these two planes to the same point in the sky with an accuracy no human could achieve.
Interesting read. Henry Yandle, the salesman mentioned in the article, is a friend and ironically enough, I did that very same trip a year or so earlier since I was involved in a new Legacy delivery for one of my clients.
I can’t say that I agree with all of the authors comments (nor does he appear friendly to my profession). Some of the viewpoints are a bit skewed but it was a good read about a very sad story.
As I’ve flown along, this very topic of how technology has improved the precision of navigating the various airways has also increased the risk of us coming into contact with other aircraft. The “big sky” approach to flying is really rarely taken advantage of since aircraft more typically fly the equivalent of aerial interstates from point A to point B.
As stated in the article, equipment exists to counter that precision in the form of TCAS but if it’s not on or operating (for whatever reason), it isn’t going to save your bacon.
-MM