The deadly crash of a TAM Airlines jet at São Paulo's Congonhas airport on July 17 was just the latest example of the aviation woes plaguing Argentina and Brazil. Over the past year, South America's two largest countries have suffered two deadly accidents and a number of close calls—almost all for a surprising reason. In both states, civil aviation is controlled by the armed forces, which managed to maintain this jurisdiction when the nations returned to democratic rule in the 1980s.