Brazil Crash Update

The pilots of the private Embraer Jet aboard which the New York Times Travel columnist was flying, and which collided with the Brazilian commercial jet carrying 150 passengers, all of whom perished, are being held in Brazil indefinitely. An initial investigation has revealed that the private plane was flying at 37,000 feet, when it should have been flying at 36,000. I learned from this article that west-bound flights travel at even numbers (36) and east-bound flights at odd numbers. Why the pilots disobeyed an order from air-traffic control to descend 1,000 feet, we don't yet know. Turns out the NYT columnist's encomiums to the pilots' bravery should have been accompanied by questions regarding their judgment.