São Paolo, Brazil
A Brazilian passenger jet skidded off a runway at Congonhas Airport in São Paolo this week, sliding across a crowded road before slamming into a fuel depot and exploding. All 186 people on board Tam Airlines Flight 3054 died, as well as at least 14 people on the ground. “The plane accelerated when it reached the end of the runway and tried to take off again to avoid the road, but it crashed into the building and exploded,” said eyewitness Junior Matos. Investigators are seeking the cause of the crash, but pilots have long criticized the airport’s short, narrow runways. In February, a judge barred larger aircraft from landing at the airport, but the order was reversed on appeal.
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