Federal police in Sao Paulo on Friday charged two U.S. pilots involved in a collision with a Brazilian jet that killed 154 people, and if convicted, they could face up to 12 years in prison.
Joseph Lepore, 42, of Bay Shore, N.Y., and Jan Paladino, 34, of Westhampton Beach, N.Y., were questioned by police for six hours and then allowed to pick up their passports and leave Brazil, but they must return for their trial.
The two pilots told police they would reply in court, and did not speak to media after questioning.
Police had seized their passports after the Sept. 29 crash to prevent them from leaving the country, and they had been staying in a hotel on Rio's Copacabana Beach.
But a court released their passports earlier this week, saying there were no legal grounds for restricting their movements.
Lepore and Paladino were piloting a Brazilian-made Legacy executive jet when it collided with a Gol Airlines Boeing 737-800 heading south over the Amazon jungle.
All 154 people aboard the Gol flight were killed, while the Legacy landed safely with all seven people aboard unharmed.
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