Brazil pilots' last words aired

The plane passed over a busy road and ploughed into buildings

The transcripts of pilots' final exchanges before Brazil's worst aviation disaster have been read aloud to a congressional hearing.

According to cockpit tapes, one pilot shouts to another to slow down as the other shouts: "I can't, I can't!".

The Tam Airlines' jet overshot the runway at Sao Paulo's Congonhas airport in July, hit buildings and exploded.

The transcript was read out before a congressional investigation into the crash, which killed some 200 people.

Speculation

The text reveals the final frantic moments of the flight and the pilots' desperate attempts to control the plane.

"Spoiler nothing," one pilot says, referring to aerodynamic brakes on the plane's wing.

"Slow down, slow down, slow down!" screams the other.

"I can't, I can't!" shouts the other pilot.

The final words heard in the cockpit are: "Turn, turn, turn! Oh no!", followed by screams and the sound of explosions.

There has been intense speculation but no confirmation about the cause of the crash.

The crash occurred in wet conditions on a recently resurfaced runway at the city's airport that has been criticised as being too short.

In late July, the airline said a thrust reverser on the plane had been deactivated during maintenance checks.

The reversers can be used to help jets slow down on landing but Tam Airlines have insisted the deactivation was in accordance with proper procedures.

The transcript appears to reveal that the pilots were aware of the disabled thrust reverser but were unable to slow down the plane.