[plane intercom beeps]
[airplane engine humming]
THE DEADLIEST AVIATION CRASH IN LATIN AMERICAN HISTORY
[melancholic music playing]
[motorcycle engine rumbling]
[chart clicking]
1 DAY AFTER THE ACCIDENT
[reporter] On Wednesday morning, the victims' families
traveled from Porto Alegre to São Paulo on another TAM flight.
[Christophe] When we landed at Guarulhos Airport,
a bus was there right when we got off the plane.
-[motorcycle engines rumbling] -[sirens wailing]
I remember seeing police escorts…
REBECA'S FATHER
…at every traffic light, helping the bus move through.
[sirens continue]
The whole city was paralyzed.
It was still numb and shocked by what had happened.
When do you ever see that in São Paulo?
[camera click]
[reporter] It stopped raining around 7 a.m.
and the airport resumed normal flight operations
on the auxiliary runway at Congonhas Airport.
[interviewer] You landed in Congonhas the next day?
Yes.
[camera clicks]
We got off the plane right on the runway and headed on foot to a lounge area…
JÚLIA AND MARIA ISABEL'S MOTHER AND ELIZABETE'S DAUGHTER
…towards where the crash site was.
We could still see the smoke lingering and the smell was very strong.
-[indistinct chattering] -[vehicles beeping]
All I could think of was whether my girls were still there.
[dramatic thud]
Or if they had already been removed, along with my mom.
[dramatic thud]
[motorcycle engines rumbling]
[Christophe] It was extremely overwhelming.
You could feel the magnitude of the horror that had taken place the day before.
That was when we truly realized the reality
of what was to come.
[dramatic music playing]
[reporter 1] The tragedy made headlines on CNN, the American network.
[reporter 2] Athletes weren't the only ones
holding a moment of silence for the tragedy.
[reporter 3] Sending condolences was Argentina's President, Néstor Kirchner.
Then Chile's President, Michele Bachelet,
Pope Benedict XVI, and China's President, Hu Jintao, expressed their solidarity.
[reporter 4] President Lula summoned his top cabinet members.
[reporter 5] The plane's two black boxes
will be sent to the United States for analysis.
[reporter 6] A police investigation
has been opened to find out the possible causes
of this tragic crash.
[reporter 7] Several family members find it hard to accept the crash.
[Dario] Family members call for transparency in the investigation
and for the responsible parties to be punished once found.
From the very first day,
I wanted to know what had actually happened.
From the very first day. I needed to know what happened.
Who killed my daughter?
Was it by omission? By negligence?
What was it?
[music ends]
[dramatic theme music playing]
A TRAGEDY FORETOLD: FLIGHT 3054
[music ends]
[police siren blaring]
[reporter] At this hotel, in the South Side of São Paulo,
the airline accommodated the families of the victims.
About 50 people came from Rio Grande do Sul.
The rest were from São Paulo and other cities across the country.
[camera clicks]
One of the main reasons for having them all be in a single location…
FORMER DIRECTOR OF HR, TAM
…was to ensure that all communication
would be direct and identical, for everyone.
[indistinct chattering]
Upon arriving there, I said, "My family lives in São Paulo…
THAÍS'S FATHER
…I'm not staying at a hotel."
"I want you to let me know as soon as you learn anything."
[pensive music playing]
So, the next day, I went to the hotel to see if there was any news.
And once I got there, I saw a meeting with the TAM board taking place.
I asked a lady, "When were you going to tell me that there was a meeting?"
Everything the airline did was completely disorganized.
"If this is how you play, then I'll stay at the hotel,
since things are developing here."
[camera clicks]
We all recognized each other and bonded over the same pain, you know?
Nobody said, "How's it going?"
PAULO'S SISTER
Then we would get to learn more and more about each other's stories, you know?
[telephone ringing]
[emotional music playing]
[telephone continues ringing]
The last time I talked to my mom,
she had two pieces of paper in her hand.
"Here" she said. I asked, "What's that, Mom?" And she replied,
"This is the information for the plane tickets."
"Mom, why are you doing this?"
She had never done that before.
[cell phone rings]
[camera clicks]
[man 1] In 2005, I decided to move to Japan,
where I worked for two years, until the day of the accident.
ROGÉRIO'S BROTHER
[telephone ringing]
He answered the phone. Usually my mom answered.
[camera click]
[man 2] My son, Levy, he used to say,
"Good night, sir. Good afternoon, sir."
At only 20 months old, he spoke so well.
[camera clicks]
When I left for my trip,
little Levy was asleep.
I kissed him and left.
That was the last kiss.
It was the last kiss.
WIDOWER OF JAMILLE AND LEVY'S FATHER
[Simone] When he boarded that flight,
while inside the plane, he sent my mom a text message.
Yeah, he sent her a text message.
"Mom, I did what I came here for. I'm going back home now."
MOM, I DID WHAT I CAME HERE FOR. I'M GOING BACK HOME.
[Eduardo] Before handing my mom the phone, as he was saying goodbye,
he told me he loved me, which was something he didn't usually do.
And that really meant a lot to me.
[music continues]
[Simone] And my mom kept that cell phone for many years.
Because, for her, that message was, uh…
[trembling voice] It was him, telling her he was leaving.
[foreboding music playing]
THE TRAGEDY OF FLIGHT JJ-3054 MANAUS LAWYER LOSES WIFE AND SON
I saw it happen.
FATHER TRAVELS FIRST AND WITNESSES THE CRASH THAT KILLED HIS FAMILY
It happened so fast.
The plane crashed and then I saw the explosion up ahead.
The smell of kerosene hit me like a hurricane.
A scream burst out of me, automatically.
From where my brother lived,
you could see the airport and even the actual crash site.
[indistinct dialogue over TV]
My mom called me screaming.
[reporter] We still don't know which flight it is,
where it came from, where it was going,
if it was a stopover, if it was a connection,
or how many passengers were on the plane.
I quickly grabbed those papers my mom had left me.
[siren wails over TV]
[Christophe] We got confirmation.
It was Flight 3054 that arrived from Porto Alegre.
[dramatic thud]
I said, "I killed my daughter."
I kept walking up and down the street, over and over.
I lost my safe haven, which was my mom.
And I lost those whom I was supposed to be a safe haven.
[camera click]
All at the same time.
[dramatic thud]
-[indistinct chattering] -[woman sobs]
When I got to the hotel, I went straight to the basement.
MÁRIO'S BROTHER
That was where the families were gathered.
I called it "Dante's Inferno."
[tense music playing]
There were probably about 400 people in the auditorium.
We were around 200 families.
People from 17 states and people from seven countries died.
Between children and adults, 154 were left orphaned.
That's when TAM's efforts began.
[reporter 1] TAM's CEO claims all families will be compensated,
and that they're currently receiving all applicable assistance,
such as accommodation and food.
TAM liked to release those reports,
"We've spent this much money on the victims' families" and the like.
But I said, "I don't care how much you've spent."
They could've kept it all if they had given me my daughter.
FACES OF THE TRAGEDY THAT SHOOK BRAZIL
[reporter 2] Applause for the victims' families.
Flowers to TAM's employees.
I know there are a lot of TAM employees who are distraught, who lost loved ones,
but I will not turn my wife's death into a marketing campaign.
They must be held accountable!
They wanted to uphold their reputation
as the biggest airline in Latin America, you know?
[dramatic music playing]
[camera clicks]
My name is Marco Antônio Bologna.
Back in 2007, I was the CEO of TAM Airlines.
FORMER CEO, TAM
[interviewer] Marco was looking at the crash site for the first time.
One of his aircrafts crashed into his company's property.
Unbelievable, right?
There were times when I thought, "The company's done for."
[reporter 1] During the company's press conference,
which lasted close to 90 minutes,
TAM's CEO stated that the aircraft was in perfect condition.
The first question is always
whether there's a problem with the airplane itself.
And obviously, after that, we try to find the causes. The why.
[reporter 2] He avoided elaborating on the causes of the accident.
When you're still waiting for the results of the investigation,
it is unwise to try to infer the causes.
You will repeat the same answer several times,
"We must wait for the investigations and conclusions made by the authorities."
[reporter 3] TAM's CEO, Marco Antônio Bologna,
arrived by helicopter at the hotel
where the victims' relatives are staying in São Paulo.
[indistinct chattering]
-[somber music playing] -[footsteps approaching]
I'd describe that meeting as an example of
"How not to hold a meeting with victims' families."
[papers and pen thud dramatically]
The CEO arrived in a helicopter.
[chair scrapes loudly]
The untouchable.
And at first, you greet the families.
You hug them, there's some emotion going on.
He got on stage, kept his distance.
The CEO should be among the people. He should arrive and say, "I'm here."
Then, the room was filled with security guards.
[camera clicks]
My name is Sandra Assali, President of ABRAPAVAA,
the Brazilian Association of Relatives and Friends of Air Disaster Victims.
Some family members tried to get close to the front,
but security would come and push them back.
[Hobeika] There was a family member
who kept verbally attacking everybody at the table,
like, "You're murderers!"
As if we ourselves had been directly responsible.
And because she kept doing it,
that triggered this fear response in the company, like,
"Wow, they're going to come for our heads."
It's worth noting that TAM had another crash in 1996.
-[rock music playing] -[helicopter whirring]
OCTOBER 31, 1996
And two crashes at the same airport by the same airline.
[people screaming]
That just amplifies things.
It's like reliving the previous crash.
Back then, the CEO was Captain Rolim.
[Sandra] In the aviation world today,
if you mention Rolim, you might as well be mentioning God.
I would never dare to compare myself to Captain Rolim. He was a true icon.
Many of the things I say today came from the literature he left.
He was very poetic.
I cannot comprehend why a company that has seven commandments
would choose to have its first commandment be "Nothing replaces profit."
[dramatic thud]
Instead of safety.
There was a lot of talk because it seemed that there was an order to these values.
But would anything change if you reversed the order? No, right?
-[interviewer] So why that order? -Just because, you know?
We were part of his legacy.
The government goes after people who own imported cars.
The government goes after people who own boats.
The government should go after people who don't own those things.
We should glorify successful people.
WOULD YOU STILL RISK FLYING WITH TAM?
[dramatic whooshes]
[dramatic thud]
WARNING: FLYING WITH TAM COULD KILL YOU!!
Every meeting with TAM was tense.
It's not easy, being face-to-face
with the company that led my daughter to her own death.
If we already start with opposition, things just go downhill from there.
And that's what happened.
-[intriguing music playing] -[church bell ringing]
JULY 23, 2007 SEVEN DAYS AFTER THE ACCIDENT
[reporter 1] The vastness of the Sé Cathedral,
in the heart of São Paulo,
proved small in comparison to the pain of around 3,000 people.
[reporter 2] Very few families were able to bury their loved ones.
Most bodies were still missing.
TAM's CEO left the church escorted by his advisers.
After mass, the victims' friends and families came to the crash site
to demand faster identification of the bodies already found.
All I know is finding my daughter will be really hard.
So I ask, what will be left of my daughter?
[reporter 3] The families were asked to bring
as much identifying data as possible,
such as documents, photographs, and X-rays.
[camera click]
[Carmen] You'd think it's something so simple.
Like, you hand in a document, and they're like,
"Here you go, just take it." It's not like that at all.
It's actually very traumatic.
[rustling echo]
[somber music playing]
They ask you a lot of questions, you know?
"Have they ever broken any bones?"
"Have they ever had any surgeries? Did they have any cavities?"
And at every negative answer, I became more and more desperate because I thought,
[voice trembling] "They won't be able to identify them."
"They won't be able to identify them. They were perfect."
You take such great care,
just for that care to cause you this much desperation, you know?
SÃO PAULO CITY FUNERARY
[Gomes] We thought of bodies just to give our souls some comfort,
but we knew they were just pieces.
After all, there were two explosions. And the fire lasted for hours.
We couldn't, um, access the bodies right away
because they were extremely hot.
[camera clicks]
At the initial analysis, we check the conditions of the bodies.
MEDICAL EXAMINER
The condition of this one body
allows for identification via fingerprints.
These over here will be identified through dental records.
These here can't be identified in any other way than through DNA.
We have to do a job that is extremely technical and scientific.
There's no room for hurry or haste.
I am going to give you an answer
with concrete proof that it's really your loved one.
Imagine messing up.
I had to go to the Medical Examiner's Office.
Even if it's just to open a door
and see that no one's there 'cause they're on vacation.
Or that there's one person, or 50. Anyone.
[trembling voice] "Please, have mercy on a father's pain. Just open the door."
"No, no, we can't, no way. We can't, we can't."
[Christophe] We were able to arrange a meeting
with reps from the São Paulo State Government.
[reporter 1] During the meeting, it was decided
that a commission formed by relatives of the victims
would be allowed into the Medical Examiner's Office.
[camera clicks]
When they got there, the coroners stopped performing the autopsy.
MEDICAL EXAMINER
They put the scalpel on the table, looked at the families,
and both… both groups started crying.
WE LOVE YOU
[reporter 2] After the visit, there was a mixture of pain and relief.
I felt peace in being able to say that they are really doing all they can.
And… now we must wait.
I think that was comforting for the families.
It was the most emotional I'd ever felt at the Medical Examiner's Office.
-[slide projector click] -[sad music playing]
[Gomes] Humans are ritualistic beings.
We have a ritual for everything.
So we had a farewell ritual.
[reporter 3] Today marked the burial of the second victim of the accident.
Michele Dias de Miranda, who was a TAM employee.
[woman 1] He's already back with us.
Meanwhile, many are still looking for their loved ones.
Because our greatest fear was that nothing would be found.
[reporter 4] The family of Jamille Leão and 20-month-old, Levy,
await the identification of their bodies so that they may be returned to Manaus.
And the reports kept coming with all the names of the ones who were identified.
-[sad music continues] -[slide projector click]
ROGERIO SATO. IDENTIFIED AFTER 10 DAYS.
And then, they'd call the families,
and it was very painful, because people would just lose it.
[slide projector click]
MARIA ISABEL AND JULIA CABALLERO. IDENTIFIED AFTER 13 DAYS.
[slide projector click]
ELIZABETE CABALLERO. IDENTIFIED AFTER 19 DAYS.
The feeling was a mixture of relief
and, "I didn't want to receive this news."
[sirens wailing]
MEDICAL EXAMINER'S OFFICE
[Gomes] At the Medical Examiner's Office,
we didn't ask for Mário.
We'd say, "Doctor, at which stage are we now?" [sighs]
"We're entering the red stage. It's getting harder and harder."
Because now, we had gotten to the DNA tests.
[slide projector click]
PAULO FELIZARDO. IDENTIFIED AFTER 15 DAYS.
[Simone] It was shocking,
seeing that closed casket.
Today I'm glad, because my last memory is of him alive.
[reporter 5] In Porto Alegre, relatives and friends said goodbye
to Rodrigo Prado Almeida.
[reporter 6] The body of pharmacist Marta Laudaris
was buried today in Belo Horizonte.
[reporter 7] The wake was today in Niterói, Rio de Janeiro.
We had been going to the Medical Examiner's Office for 15 days,
and we started asking, "Doctor, what about Mário?"
[slide projector click]
REBECA HADDAD. IDENTIFIED AFTER 18 DAYS.
For us, it felt like it was taking too long,
but the extent of the task they had at hand
was of Herculean proportions.
And we'd go back another day and ask, "Doctor, what about Mário?"
[slide projector click]
MÁRIO GOMES. IDENTIFIED AFTER 22 DAYS.
It felt like… winning the lottery.
[slide projector click]
THAÍS SCOTT. IDENTIFIED AFTER 30 DAYS.
[music fades out]
[trembling voice] I made a point of seeing what they had identified of my daughter.
[sniffs]
And yes, IML's work deserves recognition.
I think her school ID was bigger than the piece of her that they gave to me.
It's sad.
She was already cremated right there.
[mechanical hum]
-[vehicle beeping] -[airplane droning overhead]
Unfortunately, four victims were completely pulverized in that accident.
[slide projector click]
JAMILLE PONCE DE LEÃO. IDENTIFIED AFTER 29 DAYS.
And Levy, my guess is that Levy fused into her.
And in a moment of madness, what did she do?
She grabbed the child, and…
You know what lingers with me? This feeling that
they'll come back, and tomorrow…
[sniffs]
[interviewer] How long has that feeling lingered?
[deep breath] I think…
it still does.
[reporter 1] As the wake comes to an end, the family demands justice.
Now the family expects an in-depth investigation.
-[dramatic thud] -[tense music playing]
RUNWAY CONDITIONS IN CRITICAL STATE SINCE 2004
[reporter 2] A friend of an onboard flight attendant sums it up.
What's terrible is that everyone knew it would happen.
[motorcycle engine revving]
TRAGEDY FORETOLD
One of the theories is that the runway itself
may have contributed to the accident.
[reporter 3] Communications between pilots and air traffic controllers
24 hours before the accident
proved that the runway conditions, in the rain, were not good.
[air traffic controller] Be careful not to go too far ahead, the runway is slippery.
[reporter 3] In the last four years alone, six planes have skidded in Congonhas.
[reporter 4] A day before the TAM Airbus crash,
a Pantanal Airline plane skidded when landing on the main runway.
Authorities demand to know if the runway renovations at Congonhas Airport
were conducted in accordance with safety standards.
[man] They were doing the renovations. The runway was in dire need of that.
[camera clicks]
There was still one thing missing.
One thing that was still a work in progress, the grooves.
PILOT
The runway grooves, whose purpose is to stop water
from accumulating on the runway when it rains.
It's a water drainage system.
[reporter 5] And we found that the absence of these grooves contributed
immensely to this foretold tragedy.
[reporter 6] The runway was released with no grooving…
[reporter 7] …known as grooving…
[reporter 8] …but it had no grooving.
And there was even a political nuance to it because, back then,
Infraero had commissioned that project, you know?
RUNWAY RENOVATIONS FUNDED BY THE GOVERNMENT
The responsibility of the renovations falls entirely on Infraero
and the federal government.
[reporter 9] The government-owned company that operates the airports.
What happened was more than an accident, it was a massacre.
Until proven otherwise, the government is responsible.
[camera clicks]
My name is Clara Ant.
In 2007…
FORMER SPECIAL ADVISER TO THE PRESIDENT
…I was an adviser to President Lula during his administration.
[pensive music playing]
I was briefing him.
At that moment, it was just the two of us.
[telephone ringing]
Lula answered the phone.
And that's when he was told the tragic news of the TAM accident.
[music becomes somber]
It was a very difficult moment.
Dramatic, really.
LULA SUMMONS MINISTERS DECLARES THREE DAYS OF MOURNING
Lula asked me to contact field experts
and researchers whose focus of study was aviation.
Because Lula wanted to learn absolutely everything
there was to know about the accident and then decide what to do next.
[reporter 1] All day long, the flags flew at half-mast
for the official three days of mourning.
It seemed to be the only visible action taken by the government.
Yesterday, the press secretary was the one to deliver the government's response,
which lasted four and a half hours.
According to his advisers, President Lula decided not to comment
to avoid disputing versions of the accident with the opposition
or allowing a political circus to happen around the tragedy.
'FASTEN YOUR SEAT BELTS, LULA HAS VANISHED'
[somber music continues]
[Clara] It was clearly a… a pool of accusations…
NO WORDS
…to implicate or, uh, blame
President Lula directly for the accident.
DEMOCRATS SAY "OUT, LULA!"
Journalists acted…
OFFICIAL DISREGARD
…beyond the limits of professional reason.
I'D LIKE A HEADLINE THAT READS, "GOVERNMENT KILLS OVER 200 PEOPLE"
[reporter 2] Three days after the TAM accident, President Lula spoke on TV.
"MY HEART IS BLEEDING" SAYS LULA
The Air Force has already started the investigations.
PRESIDENT OF BRAZIL
And, on my orders, the Federal Police is also working on the case.
Every hypothesis will be considered.
You can't condemn or acquit anyone
based on hasty opinions.
-[airplane engines humming] -[motorcycle engine revving]
INFRAERO RELEASED THE VIDEO FOOTAGE OF THE CONGONHAS RUNWAY
[static hiss]
And I think that up until the release of the video by Infraero,
it was an onslaught of accusations, an onslaught of slander.
[indistinct agitated shouting]
[crowd chanting in Portuguese]
LULA AND HIS CRONIES KILL WITH IMPUNITY
[crowd singing in Portuguese]
[interviewer, in English] That video was part of the investigation.
It was supposed to remain confidential for a long time.
Releasing it was not regular procedure, was it?
[Clara] The video played a crucial and necessary role
in restoring the attention, the focus,
and analysis to where it was supposed to go.
To the real issue at hand.
[ominous music playing]
[indistinct dialogue between pilot and air traffic controller in Portuguese]
[reporter 1, in English] The first part of the video shows a regular landing
ten minutes before the accident.
Even with the wet runway,
the TAM airplane takes 15 seconds to cross the whole screen.
Now, watch the landing for Flight 3054.
It takes the plane only three seconds to cover the same length.
The Infraero video shows that
regardless of the runway or the grooving conditions,
the speed at which the plane crossed the screen
would make it impossible for it to stop where it was supposed to.
[airplane engine roar builds]
-[explosion] -[airplane engine roar stops]
[ominous music continues]
'A CRASH IS A PAINFUL CRY FROM A SICK SYSTEM', SAYS FORMER PILOT
Let's not forget that this crash occurs at the same time
that two investigations over the Aviation Blackout were happening.
[reporter 2] The opposition wants to investigate
the cause of so many recent delays
at Brazilian airports, the so-called Aviation Blackout.
[crowd hubbub]
4 YEARS BEFORE THE ACCIDENT
[crowd cheering]
[woman] It was the first time that Brazil had a working-class president…
and Lula takes over with a very important social policy platform…
JOURNALIST
…plus the accounts more or less balanced, an economic rationality,
and a boom in commodities.
[upbeat music playing]
And so Brazil made a lot of money.
We're talking minerals, oil, soy, cattle, everything, you know?
The growth skyrocketed.
[reporter 1] The GDP growth forecast rose to 5.12%.
[reporter 2] It was the biggest increase since 1996.
I want it to keep growing continuously.
[reporter 3] The São Paulo Stock Exchange has broken record after record.
Rio de Janeiro!
[crowd cheering]
Brazil has entered a new phase in its history.
Brazil was rising in the eyes of the world. That's what it was.
-[cash register dinging] -[price reader beeping]
[receipts printing]
There is a significant increase in consumption
because the country is growing.
There were good programs to lift people out of poverty.
[woman] I see that we're able to afford better clothes,
better shoes, better food, better outings, a better life.
SOUTH - NORTHEAST - ECOTOURISM
JULY VACATIONS - 10 INSTALLMENTS INTERNATIONAL PACKAGES
And of course, the airlines rode this wave of growth in purchasing power.
[upbeat music continues]
[airplane roars]
[seagull cries]
[man] Everyone to Natal! That's how it's been these last few years.
There's always some money left over for a vacation.
Is there anything that makes people happier than a vacation?
Imagine the people who had never been on a plane.
Social classes have also changed.
Eventually, planes became accessible to "mere mortals," so to speak.
Domestic workers, for instance,
angered some politicians because they started vacationing in Miami.
Before 2003, we transported 30 million passengers per year.
We went to 100 million, tripling the volume of flights in Brazil.
And on that same wave, GOL Airlines also grew a lot.
AVIATION HISTORIAN
[camera click]
[dramatic whooshes]
Borrowing the US model of a low-budget airline, a cheaper airline.
[dramatic whoosh]
"Now the flight attendants will no longer have to fly in that fancy uniform."
"They can just wear T-shirts."
"And none of that nonsense onboard service either."
"Just give them a cereal bar. That's enough."
[Christophe] As someone from the field of aviation, I followed this closely.
Aviation was undergoing a complete change.
So we had GOL, which was just getting started, TAM on the rise,
and the other three traditional airlines really going into decline.
[reporter 1] Combined, TAM and GOL currently hold 92%
of the country's air passenger transport.
But the physical infrastructure of airports didn't change.
So they began to struggle.
AIRPORTS AT THEIR LIMIT
[reporter 2] The volume of traffic at the country's main airports
is getting more and more intense.
With people having more income, you start selling more airline tickets.
[reporter 3] The infrastructure did not keep up with this growth.
Brazil was growing, but could airports accommodate that?
Did they have the flight controllers, technical staff, mechanics? They didn't!
So things started getting bad.
[reporter 4] Look at the size of that line.
I think this has become worse than a bus terminal.
It's like a bus terminal line.
We choose to fly because we want fast transportation.
[reporter 5] Airlines sold more tickets than their planes could accommodate.
This is called overbooking.
The ones who were supposed to solve the problem of too many passengers,
too few planes, and insufficient infrastructure were ANAC.
[suspenseful music playing]
ANAC: NATIONAL CIVIL AVIATION AGENCY
ESTABLISHED IN 2005
2 YEARS BEFORE THE ACCIDENT
[camera clicks]
It was a newly-created agency…
EX-DIRECTOR OF ANAC
…that had just started showing its mission.
It was unsure of what to regulate.
And to make the perfect storm even worse,
the two most serious accidents in Brazilian aviation history occurred.
-[dramatic thud] -[ominous music playing]
SEPTEMBER 29, 2006
10 MONTHS BEFORE THE CONGONHAS ACCIDENT
[reporter 1] Flight 1907 departed Manaus yesterday at 3:35 p.m.
with a stopover in Brasília,
before reaching its final destination, Rio de Janeiro.
[reporter 2] While flying over Serra do Cachimbo,
the aircraft collided midair with the Legacy jet
manufactured by Embraer.
[reporter 3] The Legacy jet managed to land
at Serra do Cachimbo Air Base in Pará.
[reporter 4] But Boeing 737-800 disappeared from radars.
[helicopter whirring]
[music intensifies]
NO ONE SURVIVED - 155 DEAD
10 MONTHS BEFORE THE ACCIDENT IN CONGONHAS
BIGGEST AIR DISASTER IN THE HISTORY OF BRAZIL
The hardest part for the family, and I say this in a general context,
is being unable to go to the crash site.
Because they are in denial.
So they think, "If I can't see it, why would I believe they're dead?"
[crowd chanting] We demand an explanation! We demand an explanation!
[reporter 5] Family members threaten to storm the Infraero office
at the Brasília airport.
[man] The truth!
[woman] They are giving information to the press first!
They should prioritize the families who are suffering!
[interviewer] In this accident, we also meet, in a more blatant way,
this new character called Denise Abreu.
Oh, right. Oh my God. Yes.
[reporter 6] They could finally enter.
They were received by ANAC director Denise Abreu.
Before talking to the families, she talked to the press.
It was a Gol flight which, unfortunately,
collided with another aircraft,
causing the traumatic accident,
the drastic and terrifying accident we've been dealing with.
THE DISASTER
[Consuelo] Denise Abreu was having dinner
when she was informed that a plane had gone missing.
What really caught my attention in my interview with her
was that she told me she responded,
"Darling, an airplane doesn't go missing."
-"An airplane crashes." -[dramatic thud]
At this moment, there's absolutely no way
of affirming whether or not there are survivors.
DENISE ABREU, ANAC DIRECTOR, TO THE VICTIMS' FAMILIES:
"YOU PEOPLE ARE SMART. THE PLANE CRASHED FROM 36,000 FEET."
"WHAT DID YOU EXPECT? BODIES?"
[Consuelo] She denied having ever said that.
I mean, there's no excuse, right?
She had zero empathy.
And she's harsh like that.
And when I asked her, "Shouldn't you be more compassionate?"
She goes… [tsks]
…"A government employee doesn't need to be compassionate."
"They should be intelligent!"
She stresses certain words a lot.
Effectively, there is a near-zero possibility of that happening.
So this big animosity started brewing amidst that chaos.
She projected an image of incredibility.
What is that person doing there?
She knew nothing about airspace, the aviation industry, nothing.
She met with Gol's CEO.
"They're opening this agency called ANAC. You should join."
"Oh, we'll put in a word for you, then."
How do you set up an aviation agency like that?
"Just go and join."
[reporter 1] ANAC's board of directors
allegedly has no experience in the Aviation sector.
The names were approved by the Senate.
And as a coincidence, all this horror happened as she entered the scene.
So it was easy to create an image of her
that was awful, awful, horrendous.
And it didn't end there.
Denise Abreu started with Flight 1907 and kept going until Flight 3054.
1907 GOL ACCIDENT
[suspenseful music playing]
[reporter 2] The main question remains without a definite answer.
Who's to blame for the Gol crash?
[reporter 3] The Federal Police asked the Air Force
to investigate the flight controllers that monitored Gol's Boeing.
And as they attempted to place the blame on the flight controllers,
chaos ensued.
-[music quickens] -[indistinct hubbub]
OCT 2006 09 MONTHS BEFORE THE ACCIDENT
[reporter 4] In almost every airport in the country, the same scene.
Crowded lounges, and planes parked on the runway.
In Congonhas, the busiest airport in Latin America,
chaos started early with 160 delayed flights.
It's total chaos in Brazilian aviation today.
[reporter 5] The Air Force stated that the issue was aggravated
because air traffic controllers carried out a standard operation.
[reporter 6] Air traffic controllers decided
not to work over capacity anymore.
The Air Force commander admitted that the flight controllers
worked with more than 14 planes,
which is the limit established by the international convention.
It's a kind of a… an operational restriction.
We spent a lot of time sitting and waiting for authorization to take off.
The plane that doesn't leave Salvador is not going to arrive in Rio.
If it doesn't arrive in Rio, the passengers waiting to board that plane
will continue to wait. And so on and so forth.
[reporter 7] In Curitiba, long lines, and planes parked on the runway.
Issues in Florianópolis as well.
At least 10,000 people weren't allowed to board.
A lot of yelling at the airport. There were no planes.
[passengers whooping and clapping]
Past security, where you can't go, there are a lot of children on the floor.
People were sleeping at the airport.
-[man] When will my luggage arrive? -[woman 1] I want my luggage!
[woman 2] And I've been at this airport for two days.
[reporter 7] The Minister of Tourism, who in a momentary lapse of judgment,
suggested that passengers relax in the midst of the chaos,
has disappeared.
Lean back and relax because afterwards, you'll forget all your troubles.
[reporter 7] Musician Jards Macalé
played some music at the airport to ease the wait.
Then it became chaos, properly speaking. Air chaos at the airports.
Especially Congonhas and Guarulhos.
[man] Half a dozen air traffic controllers cannot stop the country.
[woman 3] I'm on vacation.
You don't go on vacation just to come back feeling worse than before.
[reporter 8] It was ridiculous. Passengers protested
in the kilometer-long boarding line
at Guarulhos International Airport.
We expect the flow during Carnival season to be good.
The air traffic controllers beg to differ.
There will be another work-to-rule
to demand the demilitarization of the career,
increase in wages, and reduction in work hours.
[reporter 8] This flight controller speaks out.
"Controllers have long worked to the limit of exhaustion and responsibility."
[reporter 9] He accuses the Air Force of putting flight safety at risk.
The controllers started to feel a little pressured because
although their claim was fair, I guess, it really messed up people's lives.
[reporter 10] President Lula is also not happy with the situation.
I want a specific date and time for us to announce
that there'll be no more issues at our airports.
[man 2] It has been going on for over six months
all over Brazil again and again, but no one knows anything.
So they find themselves having to choose
between two bad options.
[airport intercom chimes]
-[dramatic whoosh] -[music ends]
MARCH 30, 2007 3 MONTHS BEFORE THE ACCIDENT
[José] I was in Brasília that day.
And then, we asked for authorization to start the engines,
but no one was responding anymore.
[disconnection crackle]
Silence.
[disconnection crackle]
Next to me, there were another four or five planes,
and we started talking on the radio. "Did you get approval?" "No."
"Me neither." "Hey, I didn't get it either." "Now what?"
[car horns honking in the distance]
On that specific day,
that was the day no aircraft was allowed to take off.
[ominous music playing]
[paper rustles]
NO END IN SIGHT AIR MUTINY BRINGS BRAZIL TO A HALT
[dramatic thud]
A part of the air flight controllers
was made up of military sergeants from the Air Force,
who by definition could not go on strike.
The impact this generated was absurd.
Because right from the get-go,
you could see the planes grounded everywhere.
There was no way to take off.
[reporter 1] The strike suspended landing and takeoff operations
throughout the country, affecting over 18,000 people.
[crying]
And then boom! The whole thing blows up.
-[woman] Out with Lula! -Enough, Brazilians! Let's fight back!
[indistinct chattering]
[reporter 2] The effect was immediate.
-The country's main airports have closed. -[man] Damn you!
I demand respect!
I'm Brazilian, I'm old, and I'm tired!
The passengers got angry, so we got on the plane.
[reporter 3] The police were called to contain the riot.
Let's solve this the best way possible, okay?
A group of professionals held the country hostage,
and when I say country, I mean the whole country.
Because your hands are tied for the most basic things.
[reporter 4] This man, who has just undergone a liver transplant,
had to spend the night at the airport waiting for a flight.
[reporter 5] President Lula emphasized that the country will no longer accept
the out-of-control behavior of flight controllers.
Meanwhile, we have Denise Abreu at ANAC gaining prominence.
-[tense music playing] -[laughter, indistinct happy chatter]
[drink glasses clinking]
[Consuelo] During all the confusion of the aviation chaos,
on the day air traffic controllers were going on strike
because they had had enough, she goes to a wedding.
[indistinct murmur]
ANAC DIRECTOR ADVISED TO POSTPONE HIS DAUGHTER'S WEDDING
DESPAIR AT AIRPORTS, DANCING AT THE "BLACKOUT PARTY"
'WHILE PASSENGERS COULDN'T BOARD, ANAC DIRECTORS WERE PARTYING
Wonderful! In the middle of this humongous crisis,
they all go to this wedding in Bahia.
[lighter clicks]
-[woman inhales] -[cigar paper crackles]
They give her a cigar to celebrate the wedding.
And she's photographed smoking the cigar.
DENISE UNDER HEAT!
DESPAIR AT THE AIRPORTS, DANCING AT THE 'BLACKOUT BALL'
I guess what stood out
was the fact that it was a woman smoking a cigar.
[indistinct murmur]
Because there was some misogyny there.
As if she were the only person who was enjoying the party.
CRYING AND PARTYING: TWO FACES OF THE BLACKOUT
[Josef] Under those tense circumstances,
the cigar became a… a symbol of sorts, you know?
ANAC IS A SYMBOL OF CHAOS IN OUT-OF-CONTROL SYSTEM
-[lighter clicks] -[flame roars]
[paper rustles]
INSTEAD OF PROTECTING PASSENGERS, ANAC FEEDS THE ANARCHY
[deep exhale]
[dramatic whoosh]
MARCH 31, 2007
[music ends]
[airplane engine roars]
JULY 17, 2007
[sirens wailing]
JULY 20, 2007
3 DAYS AFTER THE ACCIDENT
[dramatic music playing]
ANAC DIRECTORS RECEIVE AWARDS
[Ildercler] They awarded them right after that.
THEY EVEN GOT MEDALS
Only days later, they gave them awards, even to the ANAC director.
[Dario] That, for us, was something that stirred our anger.
A Santos Dumont Award for outstanding services rendered.
3 DAYS AFTER THE ACCIDENT
We were living an aviation nightmare while they were receiving awards.
Yeah, it was a real horror show for us.
FEDERAL PROSECUTORS CALL FOR CONGONHAS AIRPORT TO CLOSE
IN JANUARY, THOSE PROSECUTORS MADE THE SAME REQUEST.
THE REASON: CONSTANT SKIDDING CAUSED BY INEFFICIENT DRAINAGE SYSTEM.
ANAC is responsible for allowing an airport
that was not suitable to operate.
-[interviewer] Was Denise to blame? -Yes.
[reporter 1] Judge Cecília Marcondes
claimed she was deceived by the ANAC director.
She lied to a judge.
[reporter 2] In order to obtain permission for the Congonhas runway to operate,
Denise Abreu presented a document with no legal value.
[reporter 3] In a statement, Denise Abreu denies these accusations.
I don't smoke cigars.
[reporter 4] At the Senate's request,
the ANAC director will testify on the blackout.
-[woman] Denise. -Yes?
Here. This is my son.
-How could you let this happen? -[Denise] It wasn't me.
For the families, she was the reason for their anger.
It's impossible for a legal director,
who just signs documents,
to have any responsibility in an aircraft crash.
Injustice.
[reporter 5] Lula also criticized Denise Abreu.
There is absolutely no evidence of anything against me.
[reporter 6] The most famous director in the history of ANAC…
[reporter 7] ANAC's director, Denise Abreu…
[reporter 8] …Denise Maria Aires Abreu…
[reporter 9] Denise Abreu…
[reporter 10] …ANAC'S director, Denise Abreu.
We have a group of responsible parties.
-ANAC. -Denise Abreu.
-Denise Abreu.
It was her responsibility.
[dramatic sting]
[music ends]
[interviewer] Denise, as you know,
most of the victims' relatives see you as one of the responsible parties.
If you could say something to these families, what would it be?
[sighs]
[edgy rock music playing]
[music fades out]
[suspenseful music playing]
[music ends]