Brazilian lawmakers investigating last month's deadly plane crash in Sao Paulo have reviewed flight recorder data indicating that the pilots were not able to slow down the aircraft before it crashed.
The congressional commission in Brasilia Wednesday read the transcripts of the pilots' final conversations just before the plane crashed on July 17 at the Congonhas airport.
Flight data cited by the Folha de Sao Paulo newspaper indicated a lever to control speed was in the wrong position as the plane touched down, causing the aircraft to speed up instead of slow down.
The transcripts printed by the newspaper show that the pilots shouted "slow down," but could not, and that their last statements were, "Oh my God" and "Oh, no." All 187 people on board the aircraft and 12 others on the ground were killed when the plane sped down a rain-slicked runway and crashed.
Separately, relatives of a man killed in the crash are suing the airline and a European manufacturer in a U.S. court.
A lawyer for the family of Peruvian-American Ricardo Tazoe said Tuesday his clients are seeking damages from TAM airlines and Airbus in a federal court in Miami, Florida. The lawyer says several other victims' families have contacted his firm about seeking damages.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.
