Photo credit: Associated Press
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Fifteen more bodies from Air France Flight 447 crash pulled from water
Brazilian military recovery operations collecting a piece of debris from Air France flight 447.
Air France Flight 447 Crash Cronology
- 01:48 -- Brazilian Air Force has last radar contact. Plane appears to be flying normally.
- 02:00 -- Aircraft hits a zone of stormy weather with strong turbulence. The pilot sends a manual signal indicating that he is flying through an area of "CBs" - black, electrically charged cumulonimbus clouds that come with violent winds and lightning.
- 02:10 -- Problems mount. The autopilot is disengaged, a key computer system is switched to alternative power and controls needed to keep the plane stable have been damaged, according to automatic messages. An alarm sounds, indicating that flight systems are deteriorating.
- 02:13 -- Automatic messages report the failure of systems to monitor air speed, altitude and direction. Control of the main flight computer and wing spoilers fail.
- 02:14 -- An automatic message was received from the aircraft as indicating a loss of cabin pressure and failure in the electric circuit. The plane is a long way from the coast. It is believed to be breaking up at this moment.
- 02:20 -- Plane fails to make previously scheduled radio contact with Brazil. Brazil notifies air traffic control in Dakar, Senegal.
Air France Flight 447 Victims Evacuation
The Brazilian Air Force transports a corpse from a chopper at the Fernando de Noronha airport on June 9. The helicopter carried the first human remains recovered from the downed jet. (EVARISTO SA/AFP/Getty Images)
Brazilians Recover Tail Section of Lost Airbus
In this photo released by Brazil's Air Force, Brazilian sailors recover the tail section belonging to Air France Flight 447 in the Atlantic Ocean on Monday. (Brazil's Air Force/Associated Press)
Air crash bodies heading to DNA lab
(CNN) -- The first bodies to be recovered from the crash of Air France 447 are due to arrive at a Brazilian Air Force base in Recife, Brazil, Wednesday afternoon local time, the air force announced.The 16 bodies are expected to be sent on for identification to the Legal Medical Institute, the statement said. Police will perform DNA tests at their lab in the capital, Brasilia, they said.
Another 25 bodies have been found and will go through the same procedure starting Thursday, the air force said.
A French nuclear submarine joined the hunt Wednesday for the "black box" flight data recorder and other wreckage of Air France Flight 447 as Brazilian air force and navy crews continued to pull bodies from the Atlantic.
France is leading the investigation into what caused last week's accident when the Paris-bound flight from Rio de Janeiro plunged into the sea off the Brazilian coast with 228 passengers and crew on board.
The French nuclear submarine Emeraude began patrolling the area Wednesday morning, the French defense ministry said.
Around 400 French military personnel are involved in the salvage effort. France has also sent two tugs towing 40 tons of recovery equipment, a surveillance ship and a ship equipped for amphibious operations.
Fourteen aircraft -- 12 Brazilian and two French -- are participating, along with five Brazilian ships. The U.S. Navy will contribute two high-tech acoustic devices to listen underwater for the emergency beacons that are attached to the voice and data recorders.
The "towed pinger locators," which help search for emergency beacons on downed aircraft to a maximum depth of 6,000 meters (20,000 feet) -- will be placed aboard the French tugs.
Total of 41 bodies recovered from Air France 447 crash
FERNANDO DE NORONHA, Brazil (CNN) -- Forty-one bodies have been recovered from the crash of Air France Flight 447, the Brazilian Navy Command and Aeronautical Command said Tuesday.
Sixteen bodies pulled from the Atlantic Ocean Tuesday were taken to Fernando de Noronha for transportation Wednesday afternoon by helicopter to the air base in Recife, Brazil.
The 25 bodies previously found were put aboard a Brazilian frigate.
Searches for the remaining bodies will continue overnight, the navy and aeronautical command said in a written statement.
The Airbus A330 crashed in the Atlantic Ocean June 1 en route from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to Paris, France, carrying 228 passengers and crew.
The first bodies were recovered about 320 kilometers (200 miles) northwest of the Brazilian archipelago of Saint Peter and Saint Paul; Tuesday's recoveries were 80 kilometers (50 miles) away. It was not clear whether the bodies had drifted in the 1-2 knot currents or whether their separation suggested that the jet may have broken apart in the air. Watch bodies being returned to land »
Meanwhile, the French, who are leading the investigation, were increasing their naval efforts. The nuclear submarine Emeraude was expected to reach the search area Wednesday to search for wreckage, including the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder. And the French sent two tugs towing 40 tons of recovery equipment, a surveillance ship and a ship equipped for amphibious operations.
The United States is also sending equipment to help with the search. Watch challenges faced by search crews »
Brazilian authorities said the plane debris will be taken to France for investigation but the bodies would undergo forensic tests in Recife.
The cause of the crash is not known, but investigators are looking at the possible role of airspeed sensors known as Pitot tubes, among other factors.
Air France has agreed to replace the sensors on its Airbus A330 and A340 jets, a pilots' union said Tuesday.
The airline said Saturday that it began replacing its fleet's sensors last month.
Another Air France pilots' union, ALTER, has advised its pilots not to fly planes until their Pitot tubes are replaced. ALTER, the smallest of three Air France pilots' unions, would not say what percentage of the carrier's pilots it represents. Watch an explanation of what could have caused the crash »
The biggest union, SNPL, said Tuesday it has accepted Air France's assurances that no Airbus A330 or A340 will take off unless at least two of its three Pitot tubes have been replaced.
Union spokesman Eric Derivry added that there is no indication that the Pitot tubes caused the accident.
Air France said over the weekend that it began to notice in May of last year that Pitot tubes sometimes briefly iced up at high altitude on A330s and A340s. That caused "a loss of airspeed data," according to the airline -- that is, the pilots didn't know the plane's speed.
Air France decided to replace all its probes starting April 27, following laboratory tests earlier in the year, the airline said. That is the program the pilots say the airline has promised to complete within days.
The location of the crash has not been determined, because ocean currents have moved the bodies and debris. Map of Flight 447's flight path »
The ocean depth where the debris and bodies have been found varies, but averages about 3,000 meters (nearly 9,900 feet) deep, according to the University of New Hampshire/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association Joint Hydrographic Center. The search area covers 200,000 square km (77,220 square miles), nearly the size of Romania, Brazilian officials said.
Brazilian officials emphasized Monday that finding bodies was their main priority. The French are in charge of finding the voice and data recorders.
Fourteen aircraft -- 12 Brazilian and two French -- were participating, along with five Brazilian ships and one French frigate. The U.S. Navy will contribute two high-tech acoustic devices to listen underwater for the emergency beacons that are attached to the voice and data recorders.
The "towed pinger locators," which help search for emergency beacons on downed aircraft to a maximum depth of 20,000 feet -- will be placed aboard two French tugs that are part of the search efforts, the official said.
CNN's Karl Penhaul, Ayesha Durgahee, Niki Cook, Jim Bittermann and Barbara Starr contributed to this report.
Sixteen bodies pulled from the Atlantic Ocean Tuesday were taken to Fernando de Noronha for transportation Wednesday afternoon by helicopter to the air base in Recife, Brazil.
The 25 bodies previously found were put aboard a Brazilian frigate.
Searches for the remaining bodies will continue overnight, the navy and aeronautical command said in a written statement.
The Airbus A330 crashed in the Atlantic Ocean June 1 en route from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to Paris, France, carrying 228 passengers and crew.
The first bodies were recovered about 320 kilometers (200 miles) northwest of the Brazilian archipelago of Saint Peter and Saint Paul; Tuesday's recoveries were 80 kilometers (50 miles) away. It was not clear whether the bodies had drifted in the 1-2 knot currents or whether their separation suggested that the jet may have broken apart in the air. Watch bodies being returned to land »
Meanwhile, the French, who are leading the investigation, were increasing their naval efforts. The nuclear submarine Emeraude was expected to reach the search area Wednesday to search for wreckage, including the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder. And the French sent two tugs towing 40 tons of recovery equipment, a surveillance ship and a ship equipped for amphibious operations.
The United States is also sending equipment to help with the search. Watch challenges faced by search crews »
Brazilian authorities said the plane debris will be taken to France for investigation but the bodies would undergo forensic tests in Recife.
The cause of the crash is not known, but investigators are looking at the possible role of airspeed sensors known as Pitot tubes, among other factors.
Air France has agreed to replace the sensors on its Airbus A330 and A340 jets, a pilots' union said Tuesday.
The airline said Saturday that it began replacing its fleet's sensors last month.
Another Air France pilots' union, ALTER, has advised its pilots not to fly planes until their Pitot tubes are replaced. ALTER, the smallest of three Air France pilots' unions, would not say what percentage of the carrier's pilots it represents. Watch an explanation of what could have caused the crash »
The biggest union, SNPL, said Tuesday it has accepted Air France's assurances that no Airbus A330 or A340 will take off unless at least two of its three Pitot tubes have been replaced.
Union spokesman Eric Derivry added that there is no indication that the Pitot tubes caused the accident.
Air France said over the weekend that it began to notice in May of last year that Pitot tubes sometimes briefly iced up at high altitude on A330s and A340s. That caused "a loss of airspeed data," according to the airline -- that is, the pilots didn't know the plane's speed.
Air France decided to replace all its probes starting April 27, following laboratory tests earlier in the year, the airline said. That is the program the pilots say the airline has promised to complete within days.
The location of the crash has not been determined, because ocean currents have moved the bodies and debris. Map of Flight 447's flight path »
The ocean depth where the debris and bodies have been found varies, but averages about 3,000 meters (nearly 9,900 feet) deep, according to the University of New Hampshire/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association Joint Hydrographic Center. The search area covers 200,000 square km (77,220 square miles), nearly the size of Romania, Brazilian officials said.
Brazilian officials emphasized Monday that finding bodies was their main priority. The French are in charge of finding the voice and data recorders.
Fourteen aircraft -- 12 Brazilian and two French -- were participating, along with five Brazilian ships and one French frigate. The U.S. Navy will contribute two high-tech acoustic devices to listen underwater for the emergency beacons that are attached to the voice and data recorders.
The "towed pinger locators," which help search for emergency beacons on downed aircraft to a maximum depth of 20,000 feet -- will be placed aboard two French tugs that are part of the search efforts, the official said.
CNN's Karl Penhaul, Ayesha Durgahee, Niki Cook, Jim Bittermann and Barbara Starr contributed to this report.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Major airline crashes in Indonesia in recent years
The Associated Press , Jakarta | Thu, 05/21/2009 8:45 AM | National
Some of the deadliest military and commercial airline crashes in Indonesia in recent years:
- April 6: A Fokker 27 military aircraft slams into an airport hangar in the city of Bandung, West Java, killing 24.
- March 7, 2007: A Boeing 737 jet operated by national airline Garuda shoots off a runway and erupts in flames in Yogyakarta, killing 21 people.
- Jan. 1, 2007: A plane belonging to budget airline Adam Air plunges into the sea off Sulawesi in stormy weather, killing all 102 onboard.
- Sept. 5, 2005: A Mandala Airlines Boeing 737-200 crashes shortly after takeoff from Medan, North Sumatra, killing at least 145.
Some of the deadliest military and commercial airline crashes in Indonesia in recent years:
- June 8: NB0-105 military helicopter military crashes in Situhiang village, South Cianjur, West Java, killing three officers and injuring the other three.
- April 6: A Fokker 27 military aircraft slams into an airport hangar in the city of Bandung, West Java, killing 24.
- March 7, 2007: A Boeing 737 jet operated by national airline Garuda shoots off a runway and erupts in flames in Yogyakarta, killing 21 people.
- Jan. 1, 2007: A plane belonging to budget airline Adam Air plunges into the sea off Sulawesi in stormy weather, killing all 102 onboard.
- Sept. 5, 2005: A Mandala Airlines Boeing 737-200 crashes shortly after takeoff from Medan, North Sumatra, killing at least 145.
Chopper crash adds to TNI accidents
Yuli Tri Suwarni , The Jakarta Post , Bandung | Tue, 06/09/2009 10:02 AM | Headlines
Bad weather was believed to have caused the crash of an Indonesian Army helicopter in West Java province on Monday, the sixth military aircraft accident this year.
Three of its five crew and passengers died in the accident in the Cianjur regency, the latest tragedy to hit the Indonesian Military (TNI).
Heavy rains in the area at about 2 p.m. seemingly led to the NB0-105 helicopter crashing to the ground in Kampung Rawabeber, Situ Hyang village, Pagelaran district.
The crash claimed the lives of the Army’s Special Forces Command (Kopassus) training center Col. Ricky Samuel and head of the training center's training section Capt. Agung Gunarto.
Both officers were based in Kopassus' training center in Batujajar.
The chopper’s co-pilot, First Lt. Agus Sudarso died while being transported to the Gatot Subroto Army Hospital in Jakarta.
His body was then returned to the Cianjur General Hospital.
Meanwhile, pilot Capt. Hadi Isnarto and a third passenger, First Lt. Agus Sudarso, also from Kopassus, were in critical condition.
“They [the victims] were on a routine training flight,” Siliwangi Military command chief Maj. Gen. Rasyid Qurnuen Aquary told reporters.
On April 6, a Fokker F-27 Troopship from the Indonesian Air Forces crashed at a hanger in the Husein Sastranegara Air Force Base compound, Bandung, killing six crew and 24 soldiers from the Air Force' Special Force (Paskhas). Bad weather was also believed to have caused the accident.
The deadliest and latest tragedy happened in Magetan, East Java on May 20 when the air forces C-130 Hercules heavy transport aircraft broke into pieces, claiming 101 people, including 52 officers and soldiers.
The first accident this year was in March when a Hughes helicopter crashed in Semarang, with no casualties. Two other minor accidents occurred in April and May.
Politicians, including Vice President Jusuf Kalla, also a presidential candidate, have used the accident to criticize the government’s decreased military budget.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono denied that his administration had cut the budget for the maintenance of military weaponry.
Instead, the government was only postponing the purchase of new war equipment.
Army spokesman Brig. Gen. Christian Zebua claimed the 1988-made chopper was still airworthy.
“It was still very, very airworthy. So, it’s the bad weather,” Zebua told Antara.
The helicopter had been conducting a training support mission when it was caught in hard rain and strong winds.
The ill-fated helicopter was reportedly on its way from Pangalengan, Bandung to Batujajar training center in Cimahi.
The utility helicopter was manufactured by state aircraft maker PT Dirgantara Indonesia under license from German firm Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm.
Bad weather was believed to have caused the crash of an Indonesian Army helicopter in West Java province on Monday, the sixth military aircraft accident this year.
Three of its five crew and passengers died in the accident in the Cianjur regency, the latest tragedy to hit the Indonesian Military (TNI).
Heavy rains in the area at about 2 p.m. seemingly led to the NB0-105 helicopter crashing to the ground in Kampung Rawabeber, Situ Hyang village, Pagelaran district.
The crash claimed the lives of the Army’s Special Forces Command (Kopassus) training center Col. Ricky Samuel and head of the training center's training section Capt. Agung Gunarto.
Both officers were based in Kopassus' training center in Batujajar.
The chopper’s co-pilot, First Lt. Agus Sudarso died while being transported to the Gatot Subroto Army Hospital in Jakarta.
His body was then returned to the Cianjur General Hospital.
Meanwhile, pilot Capt. Hadi Isnarto and a third passenger, First Lt. Agus Sudarso, also from Kopassus, were in critical condition.
“They [the victims] were on a routine training flight,” Siliwangi Military command chief Maj. Gen. Rasyid Qurnuen Aquary told reporters.
On April 6, a Fokker F-27 Troopship from the Indonesian Air Forces crashed at a hanger in the Husein Sastranegara Air Force Base compound, Bandung, killing six crew and 24 soldiers from the Air Force' Special Force (Paskhas). Bad weather was also believed to have caused the accident.
The deadliest and latest tragedy happened in Magetan, East Java on May 20 when the air forces C-130 Hercules heavy transport aircraft broke into pieces, claiming 101 people, including 52 officers and soldiers.
The first accident this year was in March when a Hughes helicopter crashed in Semarang, with no casualties. Two other minor accidents occurred in April and May.
Politicians, including Vice President Jusuf Kalla, also a presidential candidate, have used the accident to criticize the government’s decreased military budget.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono denied that his administration had cut the budget for the maintenance of military weaponry.
Instead, the government was only postponing the purchase of new war equipment.
Army spokesman Brig. Gen. Christian Zebua claimed the 1988-made chopper was still airworthy.
“It was still very, very airworthy. So, it’s the bad weather,” Zebua told Antara.
The helicopter had been conducting a training support mission when it was caught in hard rain and strong winds.
The ill-fated helicopter was reportedly on its way from Pangalengan, Bandung to Batujajar training center in Cimahi.
The utility helicopter was manufactured by state aircraft maker PT Dirgantara Indonesia under license from German firm Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm.
Friday, June 5, 2009
History of Airbus A300
The 253-335 seat Airbus A330 family of aircraft includes the A330-200; larger A330-300 and the recently added A330-200 Freighter.
Designed as a medium to long range aircraft, the A330 was designed to compete in the ETOPS market, specifically against the Boeing 767.
The twin-engined A330 is available with either General Electric CF6-80E, Pratt & Whitney PW4000 or Rolls-Royce Trent 700 engines.
History
Launched in 1987, the A330-300 entered service in 1993 with Air France domestic subsidiary Air Inter, with the A330-200 entering passenger service 5 years later in 1998.
To date Airbus has received over 1000 orders for A330 family aircraft with 550 having been deliver
Designed as a medium to long range aircraft, the A330 was designed to compete in the ETOPS market, specifically against the Boeing 767.
The twin-engined A330 is available with either General Electric CF6-80E, Pratt & Whitney PW4000 or Rolls-Royce Trent 700 engines.
History
Launched in 1987, the A330-300 entered service in 1993 with Air France domestic subsidiary Air Inter, with the A330-200 entering passenger service 5 years later in 1998.
To date Airbus has received over 1000 orders for A330 family aircraft with 550 having been deliver
Airbus A300B2 - Air France
Airbus A300B2 was first airline introduced by Air France on its route network. In 1971 Air France ordered six aircraft of the A300B2 version and the first examples were delivered in 1974. The first revenue flight took place on Air France's Paris - London Heathrow service on 23 May 1974.
The aircraft on the picture, F-BVGB, was the second aircraft in Air France service. The Airbus A300B2 in the Air France fleet were soon followed by A300B4s. The French national airline operated a total of twenty-five A300s (nine B2s and sixteen B4s) but didn't buy the later A300-600 version.
The aircraft on the picture, F-BVGB, was the second aircraft in Air France service. The Airbus A300B2 in the Air France fleet were soon followed by A300B4s. The French national airline operated a total of twenty-five A300s (nine B2s and sixteen B4s) but didn't buy the later A300-600 version.
Editorial: The Powerless Hercules
The Jakarta Post | Sat, 05/23/2009 11:54 AM | Opinion
The whole nation is mourning the Wednesday morning crash of the Indonesian Air Force’s C-130 Hercules in Magetan, East Java, upon observing its fatal impact: 98 of the 112 passengers and crews on board and three residents have died.
We send our condolences and express our deep sympathy to the victims’ families. But we strongly regret and question how the fatal crash could have happened. It was the third accident involving military aircraft and the 10th flight accident since January this year.
The air force, which is investigating the Hercules crash, has yet to announce the results of the investigation. But, military and aeronautical experts as well as members of the House of Representatives and the government, i.e. Vice President Jusuf Kalla, have concurrently blamed the limited military defense budget – in specific the budget for military aircraft maintenance – as the root cause of Wednesday’s crash.
The possible causes of the Hercules accident could be more than poor maintenance of our military aircraft as they could also involve human error and unfriendly bad weather, as reported Wednesday.
However, one thing is certain – there must be a concerted effort by all stakeholders to bring an end to, or at least greatly reduce, such aircraft accidents.
One measure could be in the form of providing an adequate budget for military or defense affairs as it could be used for the procurement of new and modern military equipments, which are more sensitive to bad weather, to replace the aging and obsolete ones, such as the C-130 Hercules. An appropriate military and defense budget is also needed to provide our military pilots with the necessary skills and knowledge to prepare themselves for the worst possible flight environment and conditions.
Adequate budget provisions could also be understood as proper budget distribution among the three forces in the Indonesian military (TNI) – the army, the navy and the air force. While it is currently the air force and the navy that badly need funds to modernize and upgrade their personnel and equipments, it should then be a priority that both be allocated greater budget this year and possibly for the next few years. According to Defense Ministry data, of the Rp 36.39 trillion (US$3.5 billion) budget allocated for the TNI in 2008, the Army received Rp 16.1 trillion, while the Air Force and the Navy subsequently received Rp 3.99 trillion and Rp 5.5 trillion. The other Rp 6.3 trillion and Rp 4.5 trillon went to the Defense Ministry and the TNI headquarters, respectively.
Eventually, once all those budget problems are settled, it is highly expected there will not be, or at least the minimum tolerated, such aircraft accidents in the future anymore. Learning from past mistakes should become habit for the TNI and for all of us.
The whole nation is mourning the Wednesday morning crash of the Indonesian Air Force’s C-130 Hercules in Magetan, East Java, upon observing its fatal impact: 98 of the 112 passengers and crews on board and three residents have died.
We send our condolences and express our deep sympathy to the victims’ families. But we strongly regret and question how the fatal crash could have happened. It was the third accident involving military aircraft and the 10th flight accident since January this year.
The air force, which is investigating the Hercules crash, has yet to announce the results of the investigation. But, military and aeronautical experts as well as members of the House of Representatives and the government, i.e. Vice President Jusuf Kalla, have concurrently blamed the limited military defense budget – in specific the budget for military aircraft maintenance – as the root cause of Wednesday’s crash.
The possible causes of the Hercules accident could be more than poor maintenance of our military aircraft as they could also involve human error and unfriendly bad weather, as reported Wednesday.
However, one thing is certain – there must be a concerted effort by all stakeholders to bring an end to, or at least greatly reduce, such aircraft accidents.
One measure could be in the form of providing an adequate budget for military or defense affairs as it could be used for the procurement of new and modern military equipments, which are more sensitive to bad weather, to replace the aging and obsolete ones, such as the C-130 Hercules. An appropriate military and defense budget is also needed to provide our military pilots with the necessary skills and knowledge to prepare themselves for the worst possible flight environment and conditions.
Adequate budget provisions could also be understood as proper budget distribution among the three forces in the Indonesian military (TNI) – the army, the navy and the air force. While it is currently the air force and the navy that badly need funds to modernize and upgrade their personnel and equipments, it should then be a priority that both be allocated greater budget this year and possibly for the next few years. According to Defense Ministry data, of the Rp 36.39 trillion (US$3.5 billion) budget allocated for the TNI in 2008, the Army received Rp 16.1 trillion, while the Air Force and the Navy subsequently received Rp 3.99 trillion and Rp 5.5 trillion. The other Rp 6.3 trillion and Rp 4.5 trillon went to the Defense Ministry and the TNI headquarters, respectively.
Eventually, once all those budget problems are settled, it is highly expected there will not be, or at least the minimum tolerated, such aircraft accidents in the future anymore. Learning from past mistakes should become habit for the TNI and for all of us.
Missing French jet hit thunderstorms over Atlantic
Alan Clendenning and Greg Keller , The Associated Press , Sao Paulo | Mon, 06/01/2009 7:46 PM | Headlines
A missing Air France jet carrying 228 people from Rio de Janeiro to Paris ran into lightning and strong thunderstorms over the Atlantic Ocean, officials said Monday. Brazil began a search mission off its northeastern coast.
Chief Air France spokesman Francois Brousse said "it is possible" the plane was hit by lightning.
Air France Flight 447, an Airbus A330, left Rio on Sunday at 7 p.m. local time (2200 GMT, 6 p.m. EDT) with 216 passengers and 12 crew members on board, company spokeswoman Brigitte Barrand.
About four hours later, the plane sent an automatic signal indicating electrical problems while going through strong turbulence, Air France said.
The plane "crossed through a thunderous zone with strong turbulence" at 0200 GMT Monday (10 p.m. EDT Sunday). An automatic message was received fourteen minutes later "signaling electrical circuit malfunction."
Brazil's Air Force said the last contact it had with the Air France jet was at 0136 GMT (9:30 p.m. EDT Sunday), but did not say where the plane was then.
Brazil's air force was searching near the archipelago of Fernando de Noronha, about 300 kilometers (180 miles) northeast of the coastal city of Natal, a spokesman said, speaking on condition of anonymity in keeping with department policy.
The region is about 1,500 miles northeast of Rio.
In Washington, a Pentagon official said he'd seen no indication that terrorism or foul play was involved. He spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the subject.
Douglas Ferreira Machado, the head of investigation for Brazil's Civil Aeronautics Agency, told Globo TV the plane could have been near the coast of Africa by the time contact was lost, based on the speed it was traveling.
"It's going to take a long time to carry out this search," he said. "It could be a long, sad story. The black box will be at the bottom of the sea."
Air France-KLM CEO Pierre-Henri Gourgeon, at a news conference at Charles de Gaulle Airport north of Paris, said the pilot had 11,000 hours of flying experience, including 1,700 hours flying this aircraft. No name was released.
"We are without doubt facing an air catastrophe," Gourgeon said. "At this time, the plane's fuel reserves would not permit it to still be in flight."
He said the plane was "very far" from Brazilian coast when last contact was made, without providing details.
Aviation experts said the risk the plane was brought down by lightning was slim.
"Lightning issues have been considered since the beginning of aviation. They were far more prevalent when aircraft operated at low altitudes. They are less common now since it's easier to avoid thunderstorms," said Bill Voss, president and CEO of Flight Safety Foundation, Alexandria, Va.
He said planes have specific measures built in to help dissipate electricity along the aircraft's skin.
"I cannot recall in recent history any examples of aircraft being brought down by lightning," he told The Associated Press.
Experts said the absence of a mayday call meant something happened very quickly.
"The conclusion to be drawn is that something catastrophic happened on board that has caused this airplane to ditch in a controlled or an uncontrolled fashion," Jane's Aviation analyst Chris Yates told The Associated Press.
"I would suggest that potentially it went down very quickly and so quickly that the pilot on board didn't have a chance to make that emergency call," Yates said, adding that the possibilities ranged from mechanical failure to terrorism.
Families who arrived to meet passengers on board were cordoned off, away from reporters, at a special Air France information center at the Charles de Gaulle airport. That center said 60 French citizens were on the plane. Italy said at least three passengers were Italian.
"Air France shares the emotion and worry of the families concerned," Barrand said.
The flight was supposed to arrive in Paris at 0915 GMT (5:15 a.m. EDT), according to the airport.
Air France said it alerted planemaker Airbus and France's civil aviation investigation office, known by its French acronym BEA.
If all 228 people were killed, it would be the deadliest commercial airline disaster since Nov. 12, 2001, when an American Airlines jetliner crashed in the New York City borough of Queens during a flight to the Dominican Republic, killing 265 people.
On Feb. 19, 2003, 275 people were killed in the crash of an Iranian military plane carrying members of the Revolutionary Guards as it prepared to land at Kerman airport in Iran.
Airbus said it was cooperating with transport authorities and Air France, but would not further comment until more details emerged.
"Our thoughts are with the passengers and with the families of the passengers," said Airbus spokeswoman Maggie Bergsma.
The Airbus A330-200 is a twin-engine, long-haul, medium-capacity passenger jet that is 58.8 meters (190 feet) long. It is a shortened version of the standard A330, and can hold up to 253 passengers. It first went into service in 1998 and there are 341 in use worldwide today. It can fly up to 7,760 miles (12,500 kilometers).
Rick Kennedy, a spokesman for GE Aviation, expressed doubt that the engine was at fault. He said the CF6-80E engine that powered the Air France plane "is the most popular and reliable engine that we have for big airplanes in the world."
He said there are more than 15,000 airplanes flying in the world with that engine design and GE Aviation officials were on standby to help.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy expressed his "extreme worry" and planned to visit the Charles de Gaulle airport later Monday.
Brazil confirms Air France jet crashed in ocean
The Associated Press , Fernando de Noronha, Brazil | Wed, 06/03/2009 12:36 PM | World
Brazilian military planes found a 3-mile (5-kilometer) path of wreckage in the Atlantic Ocean, confirming that an Air France jet carrying 228 people crashed in the sea, Defense Minister Nelson Jobim said Tuesday.
Jobim told reporters in Rio de Janeiro that the discovery "confirms that the plane went downin that area," hundreds of miles (kilometers) from the Brazilian archipelago of Fernando de Noronha.
"There isn't the slightest doubt that the debris is from the Air France plane," Jobim said.
He said the strip of wreckage included metallic and nonmetallic pieces, but did not describe them in detai. No bodies were spotted in the crash of the Airbus A330 in which all aboard are believed to have died.
The discovery came just hours after authorities announced they had found an airplane seat, an orange buoy and signs of fuel in a part of the Atlantic Ocean where ocean depths range from less than 1,610eters (one mile) to more than 4,800 meters (three miles).
Jobim said recovery of the plane's cockpit voice and data recorders and other wreckage could be difficult because much of the wreckage sank.
"It's going to be very hard to search for it because it could be at a depth of 2,000 meters or 3,000 meters (1.2 miles to 1.8 miles) in that area of the ocean," Jobim said.
The initial discovery of wreckage announced before Jobim spoke came about 36 hours after the jet went missing as it flew from Rio de Janeiro toward Paris.
A Brazilian air force spokesman said the two spots where debris was located suggested the pilots may have tried to turn the plane around to return to Fernando de Noronha.
"The locations where the objects were found are toward the right of the point where the last signal of the plane was emitted," said the spokesman, Col. Jorge Amaral. "That suggests that it might have tried to make a turn, maybe to return to Fernando de Noronha, but that is just a hypothesis."
Amaral said some of the debris was white and small, but did not describe it in more detail.
Jobim made the announcement after two commercial ships that joined the search late Tuesday morning reached sites where the debris was found, a Navy spokeswoman said.
"Once they come across the objects, they will be analyzed to determine if they are parts of the plane or just junk," she said.
A U.S. Navy P-3C Orion surveillance plane and 21 crew members arrived in Brazil on Tuesday morning from El Salvador and was to begin overflying the zone in the afternoon, U.S. officials said in a statement. The plane can fly low over the ocean for about 12 hours at a time and has radar and sonar designed to track submarines underwater.
The French dispatched a research ship equipped with unmanned submarines to the debris site. The subs can explore depths of up to 19,600 feet (6,000 meters). The U.S. was considering contributing unmanned underwater vehicles in the search as well, according to a defense source who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on the record.
The 4-year-old plane was last heard from at 0214 GMT Monday (10:14 p.m. EDT Sunday) about four hours after it left Rio.
If no survivors are found, it would be the world's worst civil aviation disaster since the November 2001 crash of an American Airlines jetliner in the New York City borough of Queens that killed 265 people.
Investigators on both sides of the ocean are trying to determine what brought the plane down, with few clues to go on. Potential causes include violently shifting winds and hail from towering thunderheads, lightning or some combination of other factors.
The crew made no distress call before the crash, but the plane's system sent an automatic message just before it disappeared, reporting lost cabin pressure and electrical failure. The plane's cockpit and "black box" recorders could be thousands of feet (meters) below the surface.
French Prime Minister Francois Fillon said that if the debris is confirmed to be part of Flight 447, "This will allow us to better determine the search zone."
"We are in a race against the clock in extremely difficult weather conditions and in a zone where depths reach up to 7,000 meters (22,966 feet)," he told lawmakers in the lower house of French parliament Tuesday. Black box recorders can emit signals for up to 30 days.
The chance of finding survivors now "is very, very small, even nonexistent," said Jean-Louis Borloo, the French minister overseeing transportation.
The Airbus A330-200 was cruising normally at 35,000 feet (10,670 meters) and 522 mph (840 kph) just before it disappeared.
But just north of the equator, a line of towering thunderstorms loomed. Bands of extremely turbulent weather stretched across the Atlantic toward Africa.
Borloo called the A330 "one of the most reliable planes in the world" and said lightning alone, even from a fierce tropical storm, probably couldn't have brought down the plane.
"There really had to be a succession of extraordinary events to be able to explain this situation," Borloo said on RTL radio Tuesday.
France's junior minister for transport, Dominique Bussereau, said the plane sent "a kind of outburst" of automated messages just before it disappeared, "which means something serious happened, as eventually the circuits switched off."
French military spokesman Christophe Prazuck said France has three military patrol aircraft flying over the central Atlantic, but could shift its search operations closer to the site of the Brazilian discovery. He said an AWACS radar plane also had been dispatched and should join the operation on Wednesday.
French police were studying passenger lists and maintenance records, and preparing to take DNA from passengers' relatives to help identify any bodies.
French Defense Minister Herve Morin said "we have no signs so far" of terrorism, but all hypotheses must be studied.
Alain Bouillard, who led the probe into the crash of the Concorde in July 2000, was put in charge of France's accident investigation team.
President Barack Obama told French television stations the United States is ready to do everything necessary to find out what happened.
On board the flight were 61 French citizens, 58 Brazilians, 26 Germans, nine Chinese and nine Italians. A lesser number of citizens from 27 other countries also were on the passenger list.
Two Americans living in Rio de Janeiro were on board. Michael Harris, 60, a geologist, and his wife Anne, 54, were headed to Europe for work and vacation. They lived previously in Lafayette, Louisiana.
Among the passengers were three young Irish doctors, returning from a two-week vacation in Brazil. Aisling Butler's father John paid tribute to his 26-year-old daughter, from Roscrea, County Tipperary.
"She was a truly wonderful, exciting girl. She never flunked an exam in her life - nailed every one of them - and took it all in her stride," he said.
---
Alan Clendenning reported from Sao Paulo. Associated Press writers Tales Azzoni in Sao Paulo; Marco Sibaja in Brasilia; and Angela Charlton, Emma Vandore, Jean-Pierre Verges and Laurent Joan-Grange in Paris contributed to this report.
Brazilian military planes found a 3-mile (5-kilometer) path of wreckage in the Atlantic Ocean, confirming that an Air France jet carrying 228 people crashed in the sea, Defense Minister Nelson Jobim said Tuesday.
Jobim told reporters in Rio de Janeiro that the discovery "confirms that the plane went downin that area," hundreds of miles (kilometers) from the Brazilian archipelago of Fernando de Noronha.
"There isn't the slightest doubt that the debris is from the Air France plane," Jobim said.
He said the strip of wreckage included metallic and nonmetallic pieces, but did not describe them in detai. No bodies were spotted in the crash of the Airbus A330 in which all aboard are believed to have died.
The discovery came just hours after authorities announced they had found an airplane seat, an orange buoy and signs of fuel in a part of the Atlantic Ocean where ocean depths range from less than 1,610eters (one mile) to more than 4,800 meters (three miles).
Jobim said recovery of the plane's cockpit voice and data recorders and other wreckage could be difficult because much of the wreckage sank.
"It's going to be very hard to search for it because it could be at a depth of 2,000 meters or 3,000 meters (1.2 miles to 1.8 miles) in that area of the ocean," Jobim said.
The initial discovery of wreckage announced before Jobim spoke came about 36 hours after the jet went missing as it flew from Rio de Janeiro toward Paris.
A Brazilian air force spokesman said the two spots where debris was located suggested the pilots may have tried to turn the plane around to return to Fernando de Noronha.
"The locations where the objects were found are toward the right of the point where the last signal of the plane was emitted," said the spokesman, Col. Jorge Amaral. "That suggests that it might have tried to make a turn, maybe to return to Fernando de Noronha, but that is just a hypothesis."
Amaral said some of the debris was white and small, but did not describe it in more detail.
Jobim made the announcement after two commercial ships that joined the search late Tuesday morning reached sites where the debris was found, a Navy spokeswoman said.
"Once they come across the objects, they will be analyzed to determine if they are parts of the plane or just junk," she said.
A U.S. Navy P-3C Orion surveillance plane and 21 crew members arrived in Brazil on Tuesday morning from El Salvador and was to begin overflying the zone in the afternoon, U.S. officials said in a statement. The plane can fly low over the ocean for about 12 hours at a time and has radar and sonar designed to track submarines underwater.
The French dispatched a research ship equipped with unmanned submarines to the debris site. The subs can explore depths of up to 19,600 feet (6,000 meters). The U.S. was considering contributing unmanned underwater vehicles in the search as well, according to a defense source who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on the record.
The 4-year-old plane was last heard from at 0214 GMT Monday (10:14 p.m. EDT Sunday) about four hours after it left Rio.
If no survivors are found, it would be the world's worst civil aviation disaster since the November 2001 crash of an American Airlines jetliner in the New York City borough of Queens that killed 265 people.
Investigators on both sides of the ocean are trying to determine what brought the plane down, with few clues to go on. Potential causes include violently shifting winds and hail from towering thunderheads, lightning or some combination of other factors.
The crew made no distress call before the crash, but the plane's system sent an automatic message just before it disappeared, reporting lost cabin pressure and electrical failure. The plane's cockpit and "black box" recorders could be thousands of feet (meters) below the surface.
French Prime Minister Francois Fillon said that if the debris is confirmed to be part of Flight 447, "This will allow us to better determine the search zone."
"We are in a race against the clock in extremely difficult weather conditions and in a zone where depths reach up to 7,000 meters (22,966 feet)," he told lawmakers in the lower house of French parliament Tuesday. Black box recorders can emit signals for up to 30 days.
The chance of finding survivors now "is very, very small, even nonexistent," said Jean-Louis Borloo, the French minister overseeing transportation.
The Airbus A330-200 was cruising normally at 35,000 feet (10,670 meters) and 522 mph (840 kph) just before it disappeared.
But just north of the equator, a line of towering thunderstorms loomed. Bands of extremely turbulent weather stretched across the Atlantic toward Africa.
Borloo called the A330 "one of the most reliable planes in the world" and said lightning alone, even from a fierce tropical storm, probably couldn't have brought down the plane.
"There really had to be a succession of extraordinary events to be able to explain this situation," Borloo said on RTL radio Tuesday.
France's junior minister for transport, Dominique Bussereau, said the plane sent "a kind of outburst" of automated messages just before it disappeared, "which means something serious happened, as eventually the circuits switched off."
French military spokesman Christophe Prazuck said France has three military patrol aircraft flying over the central Atlantic, but could shift its search operations closer to the site of the Brazilian discovery. He said an AWACS radar plane also had been dispatched and should join the operation on Wednesday.
French police were studying passenger lists and maintenance records, and preparing to take DNA from passengers' relatives to help identify any bodies.
French Defense Minister Herve Morin said "we have no signs so far" of terrorism, but all hypotheses must be studied.
Alain Bouillard, who led the probe into the crash of the Concorde in July 2000, was put in charge of France's accident investigation team.
President Barack Obama told French television stations the United States is ready to do everything necessary to find out what happened.
On board the flight were 61 French citizens, 58 Brazilians, 26 Germans, nine Chinese and nine Italians. A lesser number of citizens from 27 other countries also were on the passenger list.
Two Americans living in Rio de Janeiro were on board. Michael Harris, 60, a geologist, and his wife Anne, 54, were headed to Europe for work and vacation. They lived previously in Lafayette, Louisiana.
Among the passengers were three young Irish doctors, returning from a two-week vacation in Brazil. Aisling Butler's father John paid tribute to his 26-year-old daughter, from Roscrea, County Tipperary.
"She was a truly wonderful, exciting girl. She never flunked an exam in her life - nailed every one of them - and took it all in her stride," he said.
---
Alan Clendenning reported from Sao Paulo. Associated Press writers Tales Azzoni in Sao Paulo; Marco Sibaja in Brasilia; and Angela Charlton, Emma Vandore, Jean-Pierre Verges and Laurent Joan-Grange in Paris contributed to this report.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
As Brazil and France disagreed Friday about whether pieces of a downed Air France jet have been found in the Atlantic, investigators used the last messages from the plane to try to avoid future disasters.
Brazilian officials have insisted for three days that military pilots have spotted wreckage from Flight 447 scattered across the ocean's surface. Air Force Brig. Gen. Ramon Cardoso again expressed confidence Friday that at least some of the objects — an airplane seat, a slick of kerosene and other pieces — are from the plane that vanished Sunday with 228 people on board.
"This is the material that we've seen that really was part of the plane," Cardoso said.
But ships guided by planes in the search area have been hampered by extremely poor visibility, and have recovered no wreckage. "We don't have any information yet that any of the ships are near any of the objects," Cardoso said.
The only piece retrieved so far, a cargo pallet, turned out to be sea garbage. Like other suspicious objects, it had to be hauled up and checked out, said Brazilian Navy Adm. Edson Lawrence.
"There is a lot of garbage in the sea, and sometimes what might seem to be wreckage is actually trash," Lawrence said Friday.
French officials stopped short of criticizing their Brazilian counterparts, but France's Transportation Minister Dominique Bussereau said his own country's searchers have found no signs of the Airbus A330.
"French authorities have been saying for several days that we have to be extremely prudent," Bussereau told France's RTL radio. "Our planes and naval ships have seen nothing."
A French Defense Ministry official, speaking only on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter, also questioned the Brazilian claims, saying French teams "cannot precisely confirm the zone where the plane went down."
Cardoso also said a large oil slick spotted by search plane pilots was not from the Airbus, but that authorities believe another slick of kerosene was probably from the downed passenger jet.
Prosecutors in Paris opened a manslaughter probe, their office said Friday — a routine step whenever French citizens die overseas.
Bussereau said the priority is finding the flight voice and data recorders that could help explain the cause of the world's worst civilian aviation disaster since 2001.
Since these "black boxes" may be miles below the surface, investigators are looking for clues in the messages sent from the plane's computers just before it disappeared. One theory: outside probes that feed speed sensors may have iced over, giving incorrect information to the plane's computers. The autopilot may have then directed the plane to fly too fast or too slow when it encountered turbulence from towering thunderstorms.
Airbus sent an advisory to airlines late Thursday reminding them how to handle the A330 in similar conditions.
Airbus spokesman Justin Dubon said the message was sent after the French agency investigating the crash said the doomed flight had faced turbulent weather and inconsistency in the speed readings by different instruments.
That meant "the air speed of the aircraft was unclear," Dubon said.
In such circumstances, flight crews should maintain thrust and pitch and — if necessary — level off the plane and start troubleshooting, Dubon said.
Meteorologists said the Air France jet entered an unusual storm with 100 mph (160 kph) updrafts that acted as a vacuum, sucking water up from the ocean. The moist air rushed up to the plane's high altitude, where it quickly froze in minus-40 degree temperatures. The updrafts also would have created dangerous turbulence.
The jetliner's computer systems ultimately failed, and the plane broke apart likely in midair as it crashed into the Atlantic on a flight from Rio de Janeiro to Paris Sunday night.
The Pentagon has said there are no signs terrorism was involved. Brazil's defense minister said the possibility was never considered. French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner agreed that there is no evidence supporting a "terrorism theory," but said "we cannot discard that for now."
"Nothing leads us to believe that there was an explosion, but that doesn't mean there wasn't one." he said in Rio de Janeiro Thursday. "All the paths are open and we will not give priority to a single premise because that would be immoral."
Brazil's Air Force was flying relatives of victims to the search command post in the northeastern city of Recife Friday to tour the operation and ask questions. Recife has a large air force base where debris and any human remains would be brought.
___
Alan Clendenning reported from Sao Paulo. Emma Vandore, Laurence Joan-Grange, Jamey Keaten and Philippe Sotto in Paris and Daniel Wools contributed to this report.
Brazilian officials have insisted for three days that military pilots have spotted wreckage from Flight 447 scattered across the ocean's surface. Air Force Brig. Gen. Ramon Cardoso again expressed confidence Friday that at least some of the objects — an airplane seat, a slick of kerosene and other pieces — are from the plane that vanished Sunday with 228 people on board.
"This is the material that we've seen that really was part of the plane," Cardoso said.
But ships guided by planes in the search area have been hampered by extremely poor visibility, and have recovered no wreckage. "We don't have any information yet that any of the ships are near any of the objects," Cardoso said.
The only piece retrieved so far, a cargo pallet, turned out to be sea garbage. Like other suspicious objects, it had to be hauled up and checked out, said Brazilian Navy Adm. Edson Lawrence.
"There is a lot of garbage in the sea, and sometimes what might seem to be wreckage is actually trash," Lawrence said Friday.
French officials stopped short of criticizing their Brazilian counterparts, but France's Transportation Minister Dominique Bussereau said his own country's searchers have found no signs of the Airbus A330.
"French authorities have been saying for several days that we have to be extremely prudent," Bussereau told France's RTL radio. "Our planes and naval ships have seen nothing."
A French Defense Ministry official, speaking only on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter, also questioned the Brazilian claims, saying French teams "cannot precisely confirm the zone where the plane went down."
Cardoso also said a large oil slick spotted by search plane pilots was not from the Airbus, but that authorities believe another slick of kerosene was probably from the downed passenger jet.
Prosecutors in Paris opened a manslaughter probe, their office said Friday — a routine step whenever French citizens die overseas.
Bussereau said the priority is finding the flight voice and data recorders that could help explain the cause of the world's worst civilian aviation disaster since 2001.
Since these "black boxes" may be miles below the surface, investigators are looking for clues in the messages sent from the plane's computers just before it disappeared. One theory: outside probes that feed speed sensors may have iced over, giving incorrect information to the plane's computers. The autopilot may have then directed the plane to fly too fast or too slow when it encountered turbulence from towering thunderstorms.
Airbus sent an advisory to airlines late Thursday reminding them how to handle the A330 in similar conditions.
Airbus spokesman Justin Dubon said the message was sent after the French agency investigating the crash said the doomed flight had faced turbulent weather and inconsistency in the speed readings by different instruments.
That meant "the air speed of the aircraft was unclear," Dubon said.
In such circumstances, flight crews should maintain thrust and pitch and — if necessary — level off the plane and start troubleshooting, Dubon said.
Meteorologists said the Air France jet entered an unusual storm with 100 mph (160 kph) updrafts that acted as a vacuum, sucking water up from the ocean. The moist air rushed up to the plane's high altitude, where it quickly froze in minus-40 degree temperatures. The updrafts also would have created dangerous turbulence.
The jetliner's computer systems ultimately failed, and the plane broke apart likely in midair as it crashed into the Atlantic on a flight from Rio de Janeiro to Paris Sunday night.
The Pentagon has said there are no signs terrorism was involved. Brazil's defense minister said the possibility was never considered. French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner agreed that there is no evidence supporting a "terrorism theory," but said "we cannot discard that for now."
"Nothing leads us to believe that there was an explosion, but that doesn't mean there wasn't one." he said in Rio de Janeiro Thursday. "All the paths are open and we will not give priority to a single premise because that would be immoral."
Brazil's Air Force was flying relatives of victims to the search command post in the northeastern city of Recife Friday to tour the operation and ask questions. Recife has a large air force base where debris and any human remains would be brought.
___
Alan Clendenning reported from Sao Paulo. Emma Vandore, Laurence Joan-Grange, Jamey Keaten and Philippe Sotto in Paris and Daniel Wools contributed to this report.
By MARCO SIBAJA and GREG KELLER, Associated Press Writer
Air France memo says it's replacing flight sensors
An Air France memo to its pilots about the crash of Flight 447 says the airline is replacing flight-speed sensors in all its medium- and long-haul Airbus jets.
Air France declines to comment on the memo obtained by The Associated Press, saying it is for pilots only.
Airbus says the matter is part of the probe into the crash that killed 228 people flying from Rio de Janeiro to Paris.
The memo sent Friday says Air France has been replacing instruments known as pitot tubes and will finish in "coming weeks." It does not say when it started.
One theory of the crash is that the tubes feeding speed sensors may have iced over, confusing plane computers and causing the plane to fly too fast or slow in rough weather.
Air France declines to comment on the memo obtained by The Associated Press, saying it is for pilots only.
Airbus says the matter is part of the probe into the crash that killed 228 people flying from Rio de Janeiro to Paris.
The memo sent Friday says Air France has been replacing instruments known as pitot tubes and will finish in "coming weeks." It does not say when it started.
One theory of the crash is that the tubes feeding speed sensors may have iced over, confusing plane computers and causing the plane to fly too fast or slow in rough weather.
By MARCO SIBAJA and GREG KELLER, Associated Press Write
Monday, June 1, 2009
Analysts: Several factors involved in missing jet
The lightning and turbulence that may have hit an Air France jet flying from Rio de Janeiro to Paris are rarely the cause of plane crashes, analysts say. But they note that rough weather may have triggered a series of malfunctions that led to the disappearance of the jetliner.
Chief Air France spokesman Francois Brousse suggested the plane could have been struck by lightning.
But most experts say lightning doesn't usually bring down a modern airliner, unless it coincides with other factors that contribute to the accident.
"Planes are built with lightning strikes in mind and are struck reasonably frequently," said Patrick Smith, a U.S. commercial pilot and aviation writer.
"I've been hit by lightning in my career a number of times, which at worst resulted in a superficial mark on the outside of the plane," Smith said in a telephone interview from Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Aviation safety statistics indicate that each large passenger jet — such as the Airbus A330 — is struck by lightning about once every three years on average. Regional aircraft, however, which fly at lower altitudes, are hit more frequently — about once a year.
Although lightning may have been a contributing factor in a handful of accidents since World War II, only one major crash was attributed directly to a strike. In 1963, a Pan American World Airways Boeing 707 exploded in midair when its fuel tank fumes were ignited by lightning.
Since then, aircraft electronic components have been hardened to withstand electric pulses of that magnitude, and new systems have been designed to prevent sparking in fuel tanks.
About four hours after taking off and flying through the night over the mid-Atlantic, the pilots of the Air France Airbus reported that they had encountered an area of intense cumulonimbus activity, part of the massive thunderstorms that regularly batter the world's equatorial belt.
To avoid structural damage, both military and civilian pilots use standard onboard radar to maneuver around the thunderheads, which are characterized by electrical discharges, hail and high winds.
The mid-Atlantic region is where most hurricanes that hit the Western Hemisphere originate, and this is the beginning of the storm season. Thunderheads in the area can tower up to 60,000 feet (18,000 meters), making it impossible for airliners to climb over them and forcing them to make long diversions.
It remains unclear whether Flight 447 took evasive action to avoid the area of heavy turbulence.
Air France reported that the aircraft's ACARS (Aircraft Communications and Addressing System) — a digital datalink that automatically transmits service messages from the aircraft to ground stations — messaged the company's headquarters regarding a problem with the aircraft's electrical and pressurization systems.
Former NTSB chairman Jim Hall said that since the A330 is widely used in international travel it was vitally important to locate the black boxes as quickly as possible and analyze what happened to Flight 447.
"At this point accident investigators can't rule out anything," he said. "But these aircraft are designed to withstand almost any lightning strikes or any level of turbulence."
Although aviation experts stressed it was much too early to speculate about the causes of the disappearance, they noted that the incident was most likely caused by various factors that combined to cause a catastrophic chain of events.
"It sounds like something that evolved into a problem, not something that happened instantly," said Bill Voss, president and CEO of Flight Safety Foundation, in Alexandria, Virginia.
"It would appear that their systems were degrading but we don't know why they were degrading."
Most aviation accidents are the result of the combination of several adverse circumstances which by themselves would not ordinarily be dangerous.
One of the most publicized such occurrences was the July 2000 Concorde crash near Paris in which investigators contend that a metal strip that had detached from another jet earlier in the day had caused a tire to burst on the Concorde as it made its take-off run. Debris from the tire punctured a fuel tank, causing a huge blaze and crash in which 113 people perished.
Smith said that that if the crew was forced to ditch the A330 in the ocean at night in stormy weather, "the outcome would not likely have been a good one."
"It would be nothing like landing that Airbus at midday in the Hudson river, a completely different scenario," Smith said, referring to the successful Jan. 15 water landing of a US Airways Airbus A320 in New York.
(This version CORRECTS to about four hours in the air, sted seven, before the plane disappeared.)
Chief Air France spokesman Francois Brousse suggested the plane could have been struck by lightning.
But most experts say lightning doesn't usually bring down a modern airliner, unless it coincides with other factors that contribute to the accident.
"Planes are built with lightning strikes in mind and are struck reasonably frequently," said Patrick Smith, a U.S. commercial pilot and aviation writer.
"I've been hit by lightning in my career a number of times, which at worst resulted in a superficial mark on the outside of the plane," Smith said in a telephone interview from Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Aviation safety statistics indicate that each large passenger jet — such as the Airbus A330 — is struck by lightning about once every three years on average. Regional aircraft, however, which fly at lower altitudes, are hit more frequently — about once a year.
Although lightning may have been a contributing factor in a handful of accidents since World War II, only one major crash was attributed directly to a strike. In 1963, a Pan American World Airways Boeing 707 exploded in midair when its fuel tank fumes were ignited by lightning.
Since then, aircraft electronic components have been hardened to withstand electric pulses of that magnitude, and new systems have been designed to prevent sparking in fuel tanks.
About four hours after taking off and flying through the night over the mid-Atlantic, the pilots of the Air France Airbus reported that they had encountered an area of intense cumulonimbus activity, part of the massive thunderstorms that regularly batter the world's equatorial belt.
To avoid structural damage, both military and civilian pilots use standard onboard radar to maneuver around the thunderheads, which are characterized by electrical discharges, hail and high winds.
The mid-Atlantic region is where most hurricanes that hit the Western Hemisphere originate, and this is the beginning of the storm season. Thunderheads in the area can tower up to 60,000 feet (18,000 meters), making it impossible for airliners to climb over them and forcing them to make long diversions.
It remains unclear whether Flight 447 took evasive action to avoid the area of heavy turbulence.
Air France reported that the aircraft's ACARS (Aircraft Communications and Addressing System) — a digital datalink that automatically transmits service messages from the aircraft to ground stations — messaged the company's headquarters regarding a problem with the aircraft's electrical and pressurization systems.
Former NTSB chairman Jim Hall said that since the A330 is widely used in international travel it was vitally important to locate the black boxes as quickly as possible and analyze what happened to Flight 447.
"At this point accident investigators can't rule out anything," he said. "But these aircraft are designed to withstand almost any lightning strikes or any level of turbulence."
Although aviation experts stressed it was much too early to speculate about the causes of the disappearance, they noted that the incident was most likely caused by various factors that combined to cause a catastrophic chain of events.
"It sounds like something that evolved into a problem, not something that happened instantly," said Bill Voss, president and CEO of Flight Safety Foundation, in Alexandria, Virginia.
"It would appear that their systems were degrading but we don't know why they were degrading."
Most aviation accidents are the result of the combination of several adverse circumstances which by themselves would not ordinarily be dangerous.
One of the most publicized such occurrences was the July 2000 Concorde crash near Paris in which investigators contend that a metal strip that had detached from another jet earlier in the day had caused a tire to burst on the Concorde as it made its take-off run. Debris from the tire punctured a fuel tank, causing a huge blaze and crash in which 113 people perished.
Smith said that that if the crew was forced to ditch the A330 in the ocean at night in stormy weather, "the outcome would not likely have been a good one."
"It would be nothing like landing that Airbus at midday in the Hudson river, a completely different scenario," Smith said, referring to the successful Jan. 15 water landing of a US Airways Airbus A320 in New York.
(This version CORRECTS to about four hours in the air, sted seven, before the plane disappeared.)
By SLOBODAN LEKIC, Associated Press Writer – Mon Jun 1, 5:32 pm ET
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