Officials Begin Probe of Fokker Jet Crash

Brazilian authorities began their investigation of the crash of a Fokker-100 commercial jetliner in Sao Paulo. All 96 people aboard the flight to Rio de Janeiro and at least five people on the ground were killed when the plane plowed through a densely populated neighborhood shortly after takeoff. Officials at TAM airline said the plane had problems gaining altitude and never managed to climb above 90 feet. The disaster shocked Brazil’s financial community as the list of the dead included the names of many well-known banking and business executives. Citibank, Bank of Boston and Coca-Cola were among multinational firms that had executives on board.