Story ID: 
Brazilian ATC Chief Replaced
By: Gordon Gilbert
Caption: In the wake of the September 29 midair in Brazil between an Embraer Legacy 600 and a Gol Airlines 737 and the subsequent disruptions in ATC services that h
Word Count: 187
In the wake of the September 29 midair in Brazil between an Embraer Legacy 600 and a Gol Airlines 737 and the subsequent disruptions in ATC services that have caused major delays in commercial aircraft operations in the country, the president of Brazil replaced the chief of its air traffic management system. According to Brazil’s largest newspaper, O Globo, “The removal was one of the ways for alleviating the tense relationship between the Air Force and military and civilian controllers.” Separately, the International Federation of Air Traffic Controllers’ Associations (IFATCA) released a statement alleging that the Legacy pilots and Brazilian controllers “fell victim to unacceptable systems traps” in Brazil’s ATC equipment and with the Legacy’s transponder. Meanwhile, as NBAA and AOPA added to the growing number of requests from around the world to Brazilian authorities to release the two Legacy pilots involved in the midair, Wyvern Consulting reinstated the owner of the Legacy, ExcelAire, as a “recommended” charter operator. Per Wyvern policy, immediately after the accident the air-taxi safety audit company suspended ExcelAire’s recommended status. The reinstatement followed a recent NTSB update on the accident investigation.