An Airbus A320 airliner that crashed in Sao Paulo last month killing 199 people had shown no signs of mechanical or computer error, a company official told Brazil's Congress on Thursday.

The aircraft operated by Brazil's biggest carrier, TAM Linhas Aereas overshot a wet runway at Congonhas Airport, crashed into a cargo terminal and fuel station and exploded into a ball of fire.

"There was no mechanical error or malfunction of the computers on board," Yannick Malinge, Airbus vice-president for flight safety, told a congressional committee investigating an ongoing aviation crisis in Brazil. His conclusion was based on data from flight recorders, he said.

The same committee said last week, also citing data from the flight recorder, that an engine throttle in the wrong position was probably a major cause of Brazil's worst air accident.

It was operating with only one of the thrust reversers, which are used to help brake the plane.

But Malinge said it was "premature" to say the inoperative thrust reverser was to blame for the accident.

A cockpit recording of flight 3054 made public by the committee last week showed the pilots were aware of the disabled thrust reverser, but were unable to brake the aircraft.

Aviation authorities are also looking at other possible causes of the accident, including the runway condition.

Air travel in Brazil has been in chaos since 154 people were killed last September when a Boeing 737 clipped wings in midair with a private jet and crashed in the Amazon.