What happened to TAM Airlines Flight 3054? Details explored ahead of A Tragedy Foretold: Flight 3054 on Netflix

A Tragedy Foretold: Flight 3054 is an upcoming three-part documentary series, based on the TAM Airlines Flight 3054 crash that occurred on July 17, 2007, in São Paulo, Brazil, and resulted in 199 fatalities.

A Tragedy Foretold: Flight 3054 sheds light on what occurred and how negligence and safety failures resulted in this devastating accident. It attempts to go to the source of the tragedy using actual footage, expert commentary, and interviews with the victims' families.

The documentary also highlights the incidents that occurred after the accident and the investigation process, which makes it easier to understand the causes of the tragedy.

A Tragedy Foretold: Flight 3054's official summary reads:

"The 2007 Congonhas Airport crash in São Paulo killed 199 people and transformed Brazilian aviation. The accident's consequences continue to influence air travel safety in Brazil."

A Tragedy Foretold: Flight 3054 is set to release on Netflix on April 23, 2025, at 3 am EST.

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A Tragedy Foretold: Flight 3054 - All about the tragedy

As reported by the BBC, on July 17, 2007, it was raining heavily on the runway in São Paulo. TAM Airlines Flight 3054, which had departed from Porto Alegre for São Paulo, was heading towards the airport with 187 passengers and six crew members.

According to reports, the runway was recently renovated but lacked proper grooving to drain water so that the tires would have more traction. However, the aircraft's thrust reverser (one of its braking components) was also reportedly out of action due to technical reasons, cutting its braking potential on a wet runway even more.

The aircraft veered off the runway, ran across a road, and hit a TAM cargo terminal and a gas station, triggering a huge fire.

According to an article on Medium, published on March 19, 2022, the official investigation found that the main causes of the accident were bad weather, pilot error, a lack of safety features on the runway, and the plane's old tires.

The accident killed 199 people on board and 12 on the ground, making it Brazil's deadliest air disaster.

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A Tragedy Foretold: Flight 3054 - People at the scene shared their experiences

A Tragedy Foretold (Representative image via Getty images)

As reported by The Guardian on July 18, 2007, after TAM Flight 3054 crashed, people at the scene shared their thoughts and condolences. Infraero spokesperson José Leonardi Mota said the plane veered off the runway, crossed a busy highway, and collided with a fuel station.

As mentioned in the same article, TAM employee Elias Rodrigues Jesus, who was reportedly walking near the scene, told the Associated Press:

"All of a sudden I heard a loud explosion, and the ground beneath my feet shook. I looked up and I saw a huge ball of fire, and then I smelled the stench of kerosene and sulphur."

"I saw a dead body," Jesus added.

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Every aspect of the accident was documented through interviews with affected families, investigators, and aviation experts. Testimony from people on the scene and technical analysis played a vital role in understanding the case.

To find out more about the incident, watch A Tragedy Foretold: Flight 3054, which will release on Wednesday, April 23, 2025, exclusively on Netflix.