Allied Pilots Association Calls on Brazil to Release Pilots Detained after Gol Airlines Flight 1907 Accident.'Accident investigation should not be a criminal proceeding' FORT WORTH, Texas Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas, 18th-largest city in the United States[1], and voted one of "America’s Most Livable Communities. -- The Allied Pilots Association (APA (All Points Addressable) Refers to an array (bitmapped screen, matrix, etc.) in which all bits or cells can be individually manipulated. APA - Application Portability Architecture ), collective bargaining agent for the 13,000 pilots of American Airlines (NYSE NYSE See: New York Stock Exchange : AMR (1) (Adaptive Multi-Rate) A variable rate speech codec selected by the 3GPP for the 3G evolution of the GSM cellphone system (WCDMA). Using the Algebraic CELP (ACELP) compression technology, AMR provides toll quality sound at transmission rates from 4.75 to 12. ), has issued a statement calling for the release of the two pilots of an ExcelAire Embraer Legacy 600 that was involved in an apparent mid-air collision with a Gol Airlines Boeing 737 on Sept. 29 over Brazil. The two pilots, who are U.S. citizens, were required by Brazilian authorities to surrender their passports and have been detained since the accident. APA previously issued a statement on Oct. 11 emphasizing the importance of a "full, fair and timely investigation" into the cause of the accident. The Gol Airlines Boeing 737 went down with the loss of all 154 aboard, while the damaged ExcelAire jet landed safely at a remote military airfield. "The Allied Pilots Association reiterates its call for a full, fair and timely accident investigation and respectfully requests that the Brazilian government permit Captain Joseph Lepore and First Officer Jan Paladino to return to the United States. We further call upon Brazilian authorities to conduct this accident investigation according to widely accepted International Civil Aviation Organization International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), specialized agency of the United Nations, organized in 1947, with headquarters at Montreal. The objective of the ICAO, which has 187 member nations, is to encourage the orderly growth of international civil aviation, (ICAO ICAO abbr. International Civil Aeronautics Organization Noun 1. ICAO - the United Nations agency concerned with civil aviation International Civil Aviation Organization ) Annex 13 guidelines, rather than as a criminal proceeding. It has long been understood that criminalizing the accident investigation process has a serious chilling effect on its effectiveness, since parties to an accident are likely to be less forthcoming with potentially vital information. "APA is also asking the U.S. government to express to Brazilian authorities the need to permit the two pilots to return to their homes, as well as the importance of conducting the accident investigation in accordance with ICAO Annex 13. "In closing, we will continue to keep everyone affected by this tragic accident in our thoughts and prayers." That is the full text of the pilot union's statement. Founded in 1963, APA is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. There are currently 2,852 American Airlines pilots on furlough fur·lough n. 1. a. A leave of absence or vacation, especially one granted to a member of the armed forces. b. A usually temporary layoff from work. c. . The furloughs began shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. Also, several hundred American Airlines pilots are on full-time military leave of absence serving in the armed forces. The union's Web site address is www.alliedpilots.org. American Airlines is the nation's largest passenger carrier. |
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