Phil Boyer, president of the
Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) and the International
Council of Aircraft Owner and Pilot Associations (IAOPA) recently
sent appeals to United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
and Brazil’s minister of justice, Márcio Thomaz
Bastos, asking for their assistance in securing the release of two
U.S. pilots who have been detained in Brazil for seven weeks.
“These U.S. citizen pilots should be treated fairly under
the law, and the U.S. State Department must take action to obtain
their release and their return to the U.S,” Boyer wrote to
Secretary Rice. “AOPA is not taking a position on the
accident or the investigative process; however, it is critical that
due process be followed.”
The pilots have been held since a midair collision on September 29
between their Embraer Legacy business jet and a Gol Airlines Boeing
737.
Boyer’s letters
pointed out that the pilots have been detained without being
charged with a crime, which violates international aviation
treaties.
He also expressed concern that the pilots might be in jeopardy
of being held in Brazil indefinitely because, according to media
reports, the investigation is expected to take 10 more months to
complete.
“This tragic accident saddened the civil aviation
community worldwide and has galvanized us to discover and correct
its causes,” Boyer wrote to Bastos. “But, detaining the
two pilots will only hinder the investigation.”
The Brazilian government is conducting a criminal investigation
concurrently with the accident investigation. It seized the
passports of the two U.S. citizens flying the Legacy jet to prevent
them from leaving the country during the investigation.
“The presumption
of criminal intent in conjunction with an aircraft accident
investigation will stifle and thwart the objective of the
investigation,” Boyer said.
He also noted that since no criminal charges have been brought
against the pilots in the accident, “there is apparently
little evidence that would indicate a criminal act has been
committed, [and] therefore they should be released.”
With nearly 410,000 members, AOPA is the world’s largest
civil aviation association, working to protect the interests of
general aviation. Nearly two-thirds of all U.S. pilots are members
of AOPA.
IAOPA is a federation of 64 autonomous, nongovernmental,
national general aviation organizations. IAOPA is the official
voice of GA before international bodies such as the International
Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). IAOPA headquarters are in
Frederick, Maryland (USA), with regional vice presidents in
Switzerland, South Africa, Colombia, Brazil, and Japan.