Of the eight worst crashes in Latin America from December 1995
 to December 1996, six happened in countries rated Category 2 or 3.
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     FAA ratings of LatAm, Caribbean civil aviation authorities
     (July 26, 1997 14:33 EDT) -- Federal Aviation Administration's
 assessment of 30 Latin American and Caribbean countries in complying
 with international aviation safety standards:
     CATEGORY 1 (satisfactory): Argentina, Aruba, Bahamas, Brazil,
 Cayman Islands, Chile, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guyana , Mexico,
 Netherlands Antilles, Panama, Peru.
 Airlines based in Category 1 nations allowed normal service to
 United States and, with approval, may add new flights to U.S.
 airports.
 Note: Guyana was put in "Category 1A," meaning it meets inter-
 national standards on U.S. flights but not on flights to non-U.S.
 destinations.
     CATEGORY 2 (conditional): Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala,
 Jamaica, Organization of Eastern Caribbean States, Trinidad and
 Tobago, Turks and Caicos, Venezuela.
 Carriers of Category 2 countries may continue flying to United
 States while improvements made, but flights may be restricted and
 inspections by FAA intensified.
     CATEGORY 3 (unsatisfactory): Belize, Dominican Republic, Haiti,
 Honduras, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Suriname and Uruguay.
 Airlines of Category 3 countries generally barred from flying to
 United States.
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--- DB 1.39/004487
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