Brazil finds U.S. pilots guilty in fatal midair | Aviation International News

Brazil finds U.S. pilots guilty in fatal midair

American pilots Joseph Lepore and Jan Paul Paladino, whose Legacy 600 was involved in a collision with a Gol Airlines Boeing 737-800 over the Amazon jungle

By AIN Staff • AIN Staff

June 1, 2011

American pilots Joseph Lepore and Jan Paul Paladino, whose Legacy 600 was involved in a collision with a Gol Airlines Boeing 737-800 over the Amazon jungle in September 2006, were found guilty by Brazilian federal judge Murilo Mendes last month of failing to verify the functioning of the transponder for more than an hour. All 154 people aboard the airliner perished in the accident, while Lepore and Paladino were able to land their damaged jet at a Brazilian military airfield.

The judge commuted a jail sentence of four years and four months into community service to be performed in the U.S., and he also suspended the pair’s pilot licenses. It is widely believed that the Brazilian sentence is not enforceable in the U.S.

The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background. The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background. The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background. The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background. The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background.

The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background. The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background. The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background.

The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background. The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background. The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background. The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background. The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background. The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background.

The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background. The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background. The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background. The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background.

Become a Member

Already a member? Sign In

ACSF Data Shows Stable Bizav Risk Amid 2026 Pressures

Altitude and course deviation, traffic proximity remain top categories

ACSF Graphic

Faulty Comms Preceded Marine One/Envoy Close Call

Aircraft remained within separation guidance but neared each other after the presidential helicopter was unable to alert ATC

The White House

NTSB Vice Chair Michael Graham To Retire October 2

Graham leaving agency within months of confirmation to another term

NTSB member Michael Graham

AINsight: Go-arounds Are a Normal and Expected Outcome

UK CAA concerned over rise in unstable approaches continuing to land

business jet from rear

TSB: Rotorcraft More Prone To Loss-of-visual-reference Accidents

Helicopters more than twice as vulnerable to loss of visual reference accidents than airplanes

Photos of a accident site in Nunavut in 2021, taken hours apart, showing the snow-covered, featureless terrain; an overcast sky; and flat white conditions.

EASA: Atmospheric Icing Insufficiently Understood

European air safety agency calls for more comprehensive studies into phenomenon

Article preview image

Embry-Riddle Introduces ‘Safer Skies’ Video Podcasts

First episode features three-time space shuttle veteranJanet Kavandi

Article preview image

Li-ion Thermal Runaways on the Rise in Aircraft Cabins

Numbers are rising and the risk of a serious incident is increasing

Fire containment bag