Air France (AF) Flight 447, from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to Paris-Charles de Gaulle, France with 228 people (216 passengers and 12 crew members) disappeared over the Atlantic Ocean on June 01. After intensive search by aircrafts,ships of Brazil and France over the Atlantic Ocean, some bodies of passengers and debris of the aircraft Airbus A330-200, were located and retrieved 600 miles away from the northeast of the Fernando de Noronha islands of Brazil’s northern coast.
Regarding air accidents it is said that
- over 94% air accidents take place at the time of take off/landings.
- mere 6% or less air accidents take place in mid air.
As Black Box (Flight Recorder) of Air France Flight 447 is not yet recovered from the Atlantic Ocean, many possible reasons for the crash are available:
Crash due to lightning strike, bad weather
- On June 01: Missing Air France plane may have been hit by lightning
- As the modern aircrafts with aluminium/composites as airframes are designed to conduct lightning around the body of the plane to keep the internal systems and passengers completely safe, the crash due to lightning is unbelievable.
- On June 02: Video clip from ABC News – Why Did Flight 447 Disappear ?
Crash due to pilot error, mechanical defects:
- On June 02: Mystery surrounds Air France flight disaster
- Total failure of Electrical Systems including standby systems.
- Loss of air pressure inside the aircraft leading to explosive decompression and serious mechanical failure.
- As the aircraft is designed to be navigated with automated systems, very little reaction time is available to the pilot to assess the emergency and to switch over to manual controls.
- On June 07: Video clip from CCTV – Autopilot off before Air France plane crashed – 07 Jun 09
- On June 09: Air France to replace speed sensors in wake of AF 447 crash
- It is interesting to note that this type of speed sensors are in service in A330 aircraft for the last 15 years in over 60 different airline companies.
Crash due to Terrorism/Sabotage
- On June 05: France opens judicial probe into Air France crash, against unnamed persons on charges of manslaughter.
- On June 09: Video clip from Russia Today – Sabotage behind Air France crash ?
Any more reasons ? You may comment.
Post in MarineBuzz on this day a year before:
Fire in Platform Supply Vessel Rainbow Star Kills 1 and Injures 14 at Singapore Shipyard
Update: June 11
View some video clips on speculative reasons for the crash.
- Fox News: Speed Sensor Malfunction ?
- Middle East News: Air France Crash linked to Islamic terrorism
- Sky News: Explosion ‘Unlikely’ In Flight 447′s Final Moments
Update: June 14
Inspection of the debris recovered so far from Air France flight 447, seems to indicate that aircraft suddenly plunged into the Atlantic Ocean without any time to the passengers to react and did not explode in the sky. Read more from France 24.
Update: June 18
Fractures found during the autopsy in the legs, hips and arms of the bodies recovered reveal that the Airbus A330 broke up into pieces in midair over the Atlantic Ocean, but not due to explosion. View a video clip: Air France Flight 447 Updates – 18 Jun 09
Update: July 03
The black box is not yet located. The French accident investigating agency BEA in their report, have revealed that the aircraft did not break up in mid-air. The aircraft appears to have hit the sea surface with belly first in flying position with a strong vertical acceleration. Read more from France 24.
View a video clip from BBC World News: Air France jet ‘broke on impact’
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