Air France Crash Wreckage: Part From Flight 447 Discovered In Atlantic

PARIS — Underwater search teams have located pieces of an Air France plane that crashed in the Atlantic in 2009, French investigators said Sunday, offering a surprising new glimmer of hope in the protracted hunt for clues to what happened.

Previous extensive and expensive search efforts proved futile in attempts to shed light on the cause of the crash. All 228 people aboard Flight 447, en route from Rio de Janeiro to Paris, were killed when the plane slammed into the ocean during an intense high-altitude thunderstorm.

The French air accident investigation agency BEA said in a statement Sunday night that a team aboard the expedition ship Alucia "has located pieces of an aircraft ... in the last 24 hours."

BEA says its investigators identified the pieces as parts of Flight 447, and that further details will come later. It did not identify what parts of the plane were located, or where. Messages left with the agency Sunday night were not returned.

Searchers are carrying out a fourth effort to find remains of the plane – and especially its flight recorders, in hopes of determining the cause of the crash.

Finding the cause took on new importance last month when a French judge filed preliminary manslaughter charges against Air France and the plane's manufacturer, Airbus. Experts say without the flight data and voice recorders, authorities will not likely determine what was at fault.

Air France and Airbus are financing the estimated $12.5 million cost of the new search. About $28 million has already been spent on the three previous searches for the jet's wreckage.

The team involved in this weekend's discovery was led by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, or WHOI, based in Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

The search is being targeted in area of about 3,900 square miles (10,000 square kilometers), several hundred miles off Brazil's northeastern coast, and could last until July.

Searchers are using up to three autonomous underwater search vehicles, each of which can stay underwater for up to 20 hours while using sonar to scan a mountainous area known as the Mid-Ocean Ridge. Researchers download the data, and a vehicle with a high resolution camera is sent to check out an area if scientists see evidence of debris.

Comments

[MichaelMcKLA]

01:08 AM on 04/05/2011

Wow. Finally!

[Meesterclean]

07:27 PM on 04/04/2011

Eric Margolis wrote an article about the people who were on the plane who were trying to bring peace to the world who coincidentally happened to be on this flight. You must scroll down to see it.

http://www.flatustheflower.org/?paged=5

[banker67]

04:13 PM on 04/04/2011

Odd: More airplane parts are visible in just these few underwater pictures than appear in all the footage I've seen of the crash site where a jet hit the Pentagon in 2001. Must be the camera angle.

[ThinkCreeps]

05:00 PM on 04/04/2011

The atlantic ocean is regularly found to be softer than reinforced concrete, and it doesn't burn well.

[MajorKong]

07:16 PM on 04/04/2011

Just once I'd love to see an aviation story that didn't bring the 9/11 brigade out in force.

Now please excuse me while I go bang my head against the desk.

[taurus58]

01:43 AM on 04/05/2011

http://www.heraldonline.com/2011/03/23/2932008/amidst-growing-world-doubts-about.html#ixzz1HahISY7Q

[Meesterclean]

01:22 PM on 04/04/2011

Please, scroll down and read the article by Eric Margolis about this crash.

http://www.flatustheflower.org/?paged=5

[Flor Arellano]

12:41 PM on 04/04/2011

Wow, amazing that they were able to find the wreckage after they spent so much time looking for it when it first happened. Glad they found it so they can give some families peace of mind.

[Rude Monk]

02:19 PM on 04/04/2011

You can't find a wreck till you find the black boxes first.They're still thinking what to say to the press now.

[ThinkCreeps]

05:01 PM on 04/04/2011

You find first what you find first. It is to be hoped that the data recorders are nearby and intact.

[soobin]

11:03 AM on 04/04/2011

I wish Airlines planned flights with extreme caution instead of these scheduled shuttles to and fro destinations.
I can just imagine what these people on board went through...

[Michael Ludin]

12:08 PM on 04/04/2011

what does that mean?

[babybecks]

10:55 AM on 04/04/2011

It seems pretty clear that this was a technical issue with the plane. But how can manslaughter charges be filed without knowing what happened, with certainty?

[ThinkCreeps]

05:04 PM on 04/04/2011

In order to get a judicial investigation underway in France. It does seem to be premature, but if the potential for a criminal trial is there, it makes sense to appoint an investigator, and alert the interested parties.

In the unlikely event that the data recorders were found several weeks ago, have been raised and read, and reveal something clearly incriminating, then that would also be more justification.

[piul05]

10:52 AM on 04/04/2011

It has also been reported that, mosst amazingly, human remains have been found:

For those of you who can read in Portuguese:

http://oglobo.globo.com/rio/mat/2011/04/04/voo-447-governo-da-franca-diz-que-encontrou-corpos-entre-os-destrocos-do-aviao-924147952.asp

[babybecks]

11:02 AM on 04/04/2011

Google Chrome did a quick and dirty translation if your link

"Already the Environment Minister Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet said airplane parts and bodies together must be redeemed within three weeks to a month. A competition will be launched to choose a company that will be responsible for the operation. Early in the morning, the minister had said in an interview with France Info radio that the identification of bodies is possible.

Transport Minister, Thierry Mariani, said the victims' families would be informed about the findings at a meeting later in the week and that no details would be released before that:

- It is true that bodies were seen, but it is natural that, because of the nature of the subject, we prefer to keep certain details to the families."

[babybecks]

11:14 AM on 04/04/2011

Dang, *of* your link

[Cory111]

10:41 AM on 04/04/2011

Many, many years ago I was flying from Guam to Okinawa in a Constellation prop job. We had just finished eating (box lunches) and as was required your seat belts were always buckled. We had two fellows as flight attendants, it was a MATS flight. Right out of the blue (very apropos) we dropped over 1000’ and both attendants were now on the ceiling of the plane. It appears we just ran our out air, a void. The next sound we heard was that of a plane with its motors racing like we were pulling out of a dive. Unfortunately one of the attendants broke his wrist as he fell to the floor. Let me tell you it was very quiet until the pilot came over the intercom.

Another time I was flying into LAX from SF on PSA and the control tower did not allow enough time between a big new powerful four engine jet taking off and our flight landing. We flew right into the turbulence and the wing of our plane dipped drastically but fortunately we had enough ground clearance to land safely. We didn’t hear anything from the pilot and it never made the news.

[MichaelMcKLA]

01:14 AM on 04/05/2011

On a flight from Saigon to Travis AFB, via Japan, in about 1968 on a 707, we also encountered a void. We were at cruising altitude heading across the Pacific at 30-some-odd thousand feet, then we were suddenly falling vertically. The plane stayed horizontal during this descent but lots of things and a few people fell up to the ceiling. Then the wings found air again and bit hard. All people and items on the ceiling fell to the floor. One woman flight attendant, who had previously had some problems with enforcing the seat belt order, got on the PA system. "Now," she announced, "aren't you glad you weren't sitting on the john?" Big laughter. We got to SF in one piece, no further excitement (that I was aware of).

[Cory111]

08:20 AM on 04/05/2011

Hi Michael, there are some exciting moments out there. I'm glad to see you made it safely out of Saigon, many didn't.

Have a great day.

Cory


F&F

[Seaniebhoy]

10:30 AM on 04/04/2011

My wife was good friends with one of the victims; lets hope more remains are found so the families have some closure

[Rude Monk]

10:11 AM on 04/04/2011

Will the real journalists stand up please.If they're none,AOL should ask Huffpo out and start making some.
The main theory is that the plane explded midair.There were two persons on board who were investigating weapon trafficking in South America.Those persons were not allowed to make it on shore.
Now that they have found the wreckage the french can test that theory.The rest is just spin.

[Cory111]

10:44 AM on 04/04/2011

You posted: The main theory is that the plane exploded midair.

Where did you get that information?

[cgeorgan]

10:57 AM on 04/04/2011

That is not the main theory at all.  The "main theory" is that a pitot static tube got clogged with ice, sending conflicting signals to the plane's autopilot system while mid-flight.  The pilots, forced to deal with an instrument system gone awry, actually allowed the plane's speed to drop slightly below stall speed, causing the plane to literally drop out of the sky.

Your theory (the conspiracy one) is simply the latest making the rounds on the Interwebs.  I read it weeks ago.

[TMS3100]

11:01 AM on 04/04/2011

People don't realize there is a narrow envelope of flight at high attitude.

[letsgtogether]

09:49 AM on 04/04/2011

That area of the world has the most intense and rapidly growing thunderstorms you will ever encounter. There is not an airliner built today the will survive the massive vertical wind shear and the hail and rain associated with it. Unfortunately they inadvertantly flew directly into one while navigating through the area. It has nothing to do with Airbus or design flaws. We need the black boxes to learn from. And hopefully figure out how to better navigate an area like this in the future.

[Cory111]

10:49 AM on 04/04/2011

Little old me sitting at this computer can look down on this little blue planet and see the storms brewing. Are we to assume that airlines don't have that capability? They basically fly from point "A" to point "B" at a specific altitude.
"Hey Joe how are things looking between here and there?"
"Not very good, we need to change the flight plan."

[MajorKong]

10:55 AM on 04/04/2011

We have IR satellite coverage over the oceans but there is no radar coverage out over the middle of the ocean.

The weather radar on the plane can only see about 160 miles ahead and it really doesn't give you a good picture until about 80 miles.

The company will occasionally send us a message via datalink if they see something building ahead of us - but mostly we're on our own out there.

[poster1122]

11:04 AM on 04/04/2011

The route flown is the same route flown without incident by many other planes before and since the accident. That's literally thousands of flights. So I can't help but be skeptical of the assertion that "[t]here is not an airliner built today that will survive the massive vertical wind shear and the hail and rain associated with it."

From another article:

"Meteorological data show the presence of storm clouds in the area the jet would have flown through, but nothing out of the ordinary for the equatorial region in June, Bouillard said, eliminating the theory that the plane could have encountered a storm of unprecedented power. Other flights through the area shortly after Flight 447 disappeared didn't report unusual weather, Bouillard said."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/07/02/air-france-flight-447-did_n_224716.html

[ThinkCreeps]

05:36 PM on 04/05/2011

IF they flew into the top of an ITCZ cumulonimbus, then a loss is not unreasonable.

No-one flies intentionally into big scary clouds, with the exception of hurricane-hunters, who penetrate the clouds at much lower speeds.

[Dredd]

09:38 AM on 04/04/2011

As storms become more violent airlines, pilots, and government flight control folks will need to fly around more and more of them or else.

[MajorKong]

09:46 AM on 04/04/2011

That part of the world (near the equator) has always been known for strong storms. It's called the Intertropical Convergence Zone.

[Dredd]

12:25 PM on 04/04/2011

I know. That makes it a prime concern and a prime suspect location.

[Cory111]

09:28 AM on 04/04/2011

“Ladies and gentleman it appears there is a very big storm directly in our flight path. To avoid it was will be going off course and will fly around it so our flight will be thirty minutes longer then scheduled. We have notified our destination and they will inform those waiting for you so they will not be concerned. Your safety is much more important to us then a few hundred gallons of fuel.”

[MajorKong]

09:39 AM on 04/04/2011

We always try to avoid strong storms - by at least 10 miles. These guys might have gotten boxed in.

One notable thing - the flight attendants were not seated. If they were in heavy stuff they would have had the flight attendants seated and belted in. This makes me think they weren't expecting any trouble.

[Cory111]

10:53 AM on 04/04/2011

You posted: These guys might have gotten boxed in.

Something about a 180 comes to mind.

Or was it, "Pass me my little leather beanie and scarf, hang on Dude we are going for it."

It’s all about time, time and money.

“We need to fly through it; our “on time” ratings are way off.”

[Michael Ludin]

12:13 PM on 04/04/2011

how do you know they were seated?

[Blackjackii]

11:31 AM on 04/04/2011

The pilots couldn't see the bigger storm until they were practically in it...

-In the middle of the Atlantic there is no radar coverage.
-The plane's on board radar was being blocked by a small cell on the outside of the storm which had found its way directly into the jet's path.
-By the time the flight punched through the small cell, it was too late to maneuver around the bigger storm, they simply had to fly through it.
-Finally, the storm was much more powerful than usual and featured "super-cooled" water vapor [which is where water droplets are below freezing temps, but remain liquid until they come in contact with something (like an airplane) where they freeze immediately.]

The "instant-ice" quickly overwhelmed the speed measuring instruments... and after the flight systems shut-down, the pilots had only one way to keep from going into a stall... but sadly were not able to institute that in time.

[sarapy]

07:13 AM on 04/04/2011

treasure hunting. it makes for great storytelling. when the conclusion is what matters to the BOTTOM LINE. the official response is already written. it's only a question of TIMING - when do they present it to the press (judge) ? let's see...mmm... before they have evidence of their claims? ... naaaa.. let's hye up a treasure hunt, make it go wrong once, twice, three times (sheet that's only 28 million dollars, chickendroppings!)... "French officials released the results of a long awaited investigation. Human error caused the flight 447 to drop from the sky. The plane is safe. And well, one human error can be a bummer. But we are taking every step to train our pilots." ... thank you, feel safer already....