Officials say as many as 200 people were killed when an Airbus A320 operated by Brazil’s TAM air carrier, Tam Linhas Aereas Flight 3054 on a domestic flight from the southern Brazil city of Porto Alegre, skidded off a rain-slicked runway after landing at San Paulo’s Congohas Airport on July 17, crossed a busy highway at the height of rush hour and crashed into a TAM fuel station and warehouse.  The commercial transport was carrying 174 passengers and crew. Over two dozen people on the ground were also killed in the accident at Brazil’s busiest airport. The runway has been criticized as being too short for large jets, especially in heavy rain conditions. A federal court in February briefly banned some large air transports because of the safety concerns. But an appeals court reversed the court order, saying it was too harsh, having severe economic ramifications. Because pilots complained about water pooling on the runway making braking difficult, the airport grooved one of its runways to improve traction, with the work completed on June 30. The fatal air carrier accident immediately prompted a reaction from the International Federation of Airline Pilots’ Associations (IFALPA), which strongly urged aviation authorities worldwide to install longer safety zones, or Runway End Safety Areas (RESA),  at the end of runways to prevent landing overruns. As an alternative, the international pilots group advocates use of Engineered Materials Arrester Systems (EMAS) to keep the aircraft on airport grounds.