Search crews located the downed GOL Airlines Boeing 737 in a remote forested region of Mato Grosso state, northern Brazil, on Saturday, according to Globo News television. The aircraft, carrying 149 passengers and six crew members, had vanished while operating Flight 1907 from Manaus to Brasília, with a continuing leg to Rio de Janeiro planned.
Military helicopters and ground troops were dispatched to reach the jungle crash site. No immediate information was available on the condition of those aboard.
Investigators were examining a possible midair collision with a Legacy executive jet whose crew made an emergency landing Friday at Cachimbo, near the Boeing's last known position. Defense Minister Waldir Pires said the Legacy appeared to have collided with the GOL aircraft, though Brazil's civil aviation agency said no such link had been confirmed. Passengers aboard the Legacy were unharmed; the jet was being delivered to a US client.
Anxious relatives gathered at airports in Brasília, Rio de Janeiro, and Manaus awaiting news. Among those on the missing Boeing were two journalists and several aviation and government officials. Nearby hospitals were placed on full alert.
Founded in 2001, GOL is Brazil's top budget carrier, operating 53 aircraft across roughly 50 domestic routes and several neighboring countries.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in September 2006, in its own words.