Brazil's Air Force located a Gol Airlines Boeing 737 on Saturday in a remote part of Mato Grosso state, roughly one day after the aircraft disappeared while carrying 149 passengers and six crew members from Manaus to Brasilia and Rio de Janeiro. Whether anyone survived was not immediately confirmed, according to Brazilian television network Globo.
Authorities investigated a possible midair collision with a Legacy executive jet that made an emergency landing Friday at Cachimbo, in northern Brazil near where the Boeing went missing. Defense Minister Waldir Pires said the Legacy appeared to have sustained serious damage consistent with a collision, though the National Civil Aviation Agency said no evidence yet supported that conclusion. Occupants of the Legacy were unharmed, according to manufacturer Embraer; the aircraft was reportedly en route for delivery to a US client.
Among those aboard the Gol flight were two Radiobras journalists, three aviation officials, and several staff members from the Aeronautics Ministry. Gol, founded in 2001 and Brazil's top budget carrier, operates 53 aircraft across roughly 50 domestic routes and several neighboring South American countries.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in September 2006, in its own words.