Mon, Apr 10, 2006
"Crewmembers' Families Have Already Suffered Tremendously"
On Friday, the Allied
Pilots Association (APA) joined with the Air Line Pilots Association and
families of the victimslost aboard United Airlines Flight
93 on September 11, 2001 in asking US District Court
judge Leonie Brinkema to reconsider allowing the CVR from the
airliner be entered into evidence in open court, in the death
penalty trial of confessed al-Qaeda conspirator Zacarias
Moussaoui.
Per an earlier ruling by the 4th US Circuit of Appeals, any
evidence released in an open session of the trial is entered into
the public domain, accessible by anyone who wished hear the
recording, or read a transcript of the final moments aboard Flight
93. To date, only family members of those lost when the aircraft
went down near Shanksville, PA on 9/11 have heard the tape.
"We respectfully request that US District Judge Leonie Brinkema
reconsider her ruling and keep the tape private. The families of
the crewmembers who were murdered on September 11, 2001 have
already suffered tremendously, and public release of the tape would
only sensationalize and serve no legitimate purpose," said Captain
Ralph Hunter, APA President.
"Playing the recording in closed session would clearly fulfill
the requirement for a full and fair trial," Hunter added.
"Moreover, any public release would violate privacy promises made
by our government to our nation's professional pilots and set an
unfortunate precedent where other cockpit voice recordings are
concerned."
Founded in 1963, APA -- the collective bargaining agent for the
13,000 pilots of American Airlines -- is headquartered in Fort
Worth, TX.
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