Flight 1907: Families of the Victims Commence a Campaign


SOURCE: The Relatives and Friends of the Victims from Flight 1907 Association

CURITIBA, BRAZIL–(Marketwire – September 23, 2010) –  The Relatives and Friends of the Victims from Flight 1907 Association, in the month marking four years from the Flight 1907 accident, which occurred on September 29, 2006, that took the lives of 154 people, initiated a campaign to gather signatures of support for action to be taken against American Airlines and Exelaire regarding two American pilots, Joseph Lepore and Jan Paul Paladino, defendants in two Brazilian criminal cases, accused of causing the accident.

They piloted Jet Legacy that overthrew the GOL Boeing. The Jet was unable to land at Cachimbo Aerial Base and the Boeing crashed in northern Mato Grosso in the middle of the Amazon rainforest. The campaign aims to remind the Brazilian population about the accident and educate the public about its outcome. This month, the campaign “190 million victims” seeks to emphasize that the number of victims was not only the 154 people who perished in the accident, but indeed, the entire population of the country, given that until today the American pilots have not been convicted or found guilty, and continue piloting American Airlines and Excelaire as per usual. “This means that two pilots who have shown such negligence and malpractice, and caused the Boeing to crash, are flying and transporting people, which is a risk for the entire population,” emphasizes Rosane Gutjahr, a widow of one of the victims.

To obtain the support of the Brazilian and international population, the site www.190milhoesdevitimas.com.br was created in Portuguese and English, to allow people to include their signatures and remember the accident. The action is being heavily worked in social media like YouTube, Orkut, Facebook and Twitter. The petition is for the pilots to be punished and have their licenses cancelled, pressuring the airline companies to take administrative action against them.