Newsday, "Probe eyes function of radio unit; Investigators look to see if pilots in Brazil crash made mistake in using critical device as new lawsuit is filed"

          While air traffic control errors seem to be growing more likely as the primary cause for the Sept. 29 midair collision in Brazil that killed 154, the radio management unit, or RMU, is under scrutiny from Brazilian and American investigators, according to aviation experts. The RMU is a rectangular electronic console that pilots on larger aircraft use to program critical navigation and communication equipment.
          And the device is even more in the spotlight since a law firm representing families of those killed aboard Gol Airlines Flight 1907 filed a lawsuit last week in federal court in Brooklyn. They are suing Honeywell, which made the RMU aboard the Embraer Legacy 600 jet that survived the collision, and ExcelAire of Ronkonkoma, which owns that jet. It was flown by Joe Lepore of Bay Shore and Jan Paladino of Westhampton Beach.
          Investigators are looking at whether the American pilots of the Legacy - who remain in Brazil during the crash probe - may have hit the wrong combination of keys [on the RMU], which would place the transponder in standby mode. It is known the transponder on the Legacy was not operating before the collision but began working just afterward. Aviation experts say the American pilots were experienced and have used this model and similar RMUs for years, making a keying mistake unlikely unless they were distracted by trying to re-establish radio contact with controllers.
          In its suit, Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein of San Francisco claims the ExcelAire pilots improperly operated the RMU, placing the transponder in standby mode, and then "failed to take note of a warning light." The suit also maintains the RMU on the ExcelAire jet "contains several design flaws that were recognized long before" the accident. It argues that the key that puts the transponder into standby is located close to another button pilots use to identify the aircraft for controllers.

Learn more about the September 2006 Gol Airlines Brazil rainforest crash and lawsuits filed by families of victims of the accident.