Air France jet with 228 missing off Brazilian Coast

EnlightenedMonk

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Air France jet with 228 missing off Brazilian Coast

An Air France plane on its way from Brazil to Paris has gone missing with 228 people on board, the airline said on Monday (June 1).

Its last known location was unclear. Brazilian television said the Brazilian air force had started a search mission over the Atlantic Ocean for the plane.

Flight AF 447 has 216 passengers and 12 crew on board. It left Rio de Janeiro on Sunday at 7 p.m. local time and was expected in Paris on Monday at 11:15 a.m. (5:15 a.m. EDT).

"Air France regrets to announce that it is without news from flight AF 447, which was flying on the Rio de Janeiro - Paris Charles de Gaulle route and was scheduled to arrive at 11.15 a.m. today (5:15 a.m. EDT)," an Air France spokesman said.

An Air France-KLM spokeswoman in Amsterdam said there had been no radio contact with the missing plane "for a while."

The plane was an Airbus 330-200, according to the Paris airports authority website.

Air France said relatives of people traveling on board flight AF 447 were being taken care of in a special area of Charles de Gaulle airport.
Air France jet with 228 - TIMESNOW.tv - Latest Breaking News, Big News Stories, News Videos
 

EnlightenedMonk

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Looks very grim at the moment... the jet was supposed to land at Paris about 3.40pm IST, but still no sign of the jet...

Experts say that it went missing over 5 hours ago now and they are also speculating that it may have ditched on the water...
 

EnlightenedMonk

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Also, unconfirmed reports say that Air France officials claim that the jet was experiencing "Electrical Problems" after hitting some rough weather off the coast of Brazil but never reached the Cape Verde islands on its way to France....

Supposedly some quite turbulent weather out there at the moment...
 

EnlightenedMonk

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Just listened to a defence & aviation expert on NDTV who said that most probably the reserve fuel of the A330 has run out by now and the signs are not very ominous at the moment...
 

EnlightenedMonk

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Stay tuned into Monk Feed for the latest on this report....
 

EnlightenedMonk

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Air France Plane Is Missing Off Brazilian Coast

An Air France plane flying from Rio de Janeiro to Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris has gone missing, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said. There were 228 people on board, Air France-KLM said.

The president is “deeply concerned” and ordered Energy Minister Jean-Louis Borloo and Transport Minister Dominique Bussereau to the airport to monitor the situation. Air France said it had set aside an area for families at the airport. The plane probably had an accident and a hijacking has been ruled out, Agence France-Presse said, citing Borloo.

The Airbus A330 had been out of radio contact “for some time,” KLM spokeswoman Marisca Kensenhuis said in a telephone interview. The plane disappeared from radar screens between the Brazilian city of Natal and the Cape Verde island of Ilha do Sal, according to a Brazilian air force colonel speaking on CBN radio in Brazil.

Flight 447 was due to land today 11:10 a.m. Paris time, Agence France-Presse said. The agency said there was no hope for the flight, according to an unidentified airport official it cited.

The Brazilian Defense Ministry said it was searching for the plane. Brazilian authorities last heard from the crew at 11 p.m. local time, the ministry said. The search is taking place near the island of Fernando de Noronha, 1,500 miles (2,400 kilometers) northeast of Rio de Janeiro, the Associated Press said.

Airbus A330

The A330, a twin-engine plane that carries about 250 people, has never had a fatal crash in commercial flight, though a development model crashed shortly after takeoff during testing, according to Paul Hayes, director of safety at Ascend, an aviation consultant in the U.K.

Hayes said it would be highly unusual for an aircraft to go down in flight, either in climbing to its flight path, or at an en-route altitude. Most accidents occur during takeoff or landing, he said.

“Most frequently accidents occur on approaching to landing,” he said in a telephone interview. “The next most frequent is on takeoff. Generally, during climb, and beyond, en route, you have very few accidents. With no information, we can’t even speculate about it.”

The last time Air France had a fatal accident was in July 2000, when one of its supersonic Concordes crashed.

To contact the reporters on this story: Laurence Frost in Paris at [email protected]; Andrea Rothman in Toulouse, France, at [email protected].
Air France Plane Is Missing Off Brazilian Coast (Update1) - Bloomberg.com
 

jayadev

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Airbus A330 has had good safety record

No passenger deaths, though seven crew died during test flight in 1990s

The Airbus A330 has enjoyed a near-perfect safety record since it began commercial operation in 1993.

The wide-bodied, twin-engine passenger plane was designed to compete on long-haul routes with similar Boeing planes.

There have been no passenger deaths on A330s since it entered operation, although seven crew were killed during a test flight in June 1994 when the plane was simulating an engine failure on takeoff at the Airbus factory in Toulouse.

There are two types of A330 – the 200 (which entered service in 1998) and the earlier 300. The Air France plane feared to have crashed is the 200, with up to 253 seats and a 12,500km range.

The missing plane is reportedly F-GZCP, which was built and delivered to Air France in 2005.

In August 2001, an A330 operated by Air Transat suffered double engine failure while flying from Toronto, Canada, to Lisbon in Portugal. The captain reported the left engine failed, followed 10 minutes later by the right one. The plane was able to glide for between 17 and 18 minutes – the longest ever for a passenger jet – and made an emergency landing in the Azores. Human error and lack of automated computer checks stopped the crew from realising that fuel was leaking via a broken pipe.

Airbus markets the 330 as "optimised for highest revenue generation and the lowest operating costs from regional segments to extended range routes".

The A330-200 is similar to the four-engined A340-200 and a shortened version of the A330-300. With poor sales of the A340-200 (of which only 28 were built), Airbus decided to use the fuselage of the A340-200 with the wings and engines of the A330-300. This improved the economics of the plane and made the model more popular than the four-engined variant.

The A330-200 has sold strongly since its launch, outselling the Boeing 767 by 23 to 9 in 2004. As a result, Boeing has asked both Rolls Royce and GE to design engines that would enable the 787 Dreamliner to be 15% more economical than the A330-200.
Airbus A330 has had good safety record | World news | guardian.co.uk
 

EnlightenedMonk

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Brazilian Air Force is undertaking searching and combing operations in the area where the flight had its last contact...
 

EnlightenedMonk

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A Paris Airport Spokesperson just told CNN that the plane may have been struck by lightning and probably went down so fast that the pilots did not get a chance to make a mayday call...
 

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Air France plane could have been hit by lightning
Mon Jun 1, 2009 8:22am EDT

PARIS, June 1 (Reuters) - An Air France plane that went missing over the Atlantic Ocean could have been struck by lightning, a spokesman for the carrier said.

"The plane might have been struck by lightning. It's a possibility," said Francois Brousse, head of communications at Air France.

Earlier, Air France said the plane had reported an electrical fault via an automatic message that was sent after it flew through a stormy area with very strong turbulence.

Air France plane could have been hit by lightning | Markets | Markets News | Reuters
 

Vinod2070

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Times Now reporting that Air France has confirmed the crash.

The French are saying "no chance" of getting the wreckage.
 

Daredevil

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Times Now reporting that Air France has confirmed the crash.

The French are saying "no chance" of getting the wreckage.
Yeah, there was no hope anyways after they lost contact for more than 6hrs. The plane might have crashed deep in the ocean, it might take some days to get out the people, if at all it is possible.

Very sad.:sad:
 

Pintu

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The Associated Press: Missing French jet hit thunderstorms over Atlantic

Missing French jet hit thunderstorms over Atlantic

By ALAN CLENDENNING and GREG KELLER – 28 minutes ago

SAO PAULO (AP) — 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.

Keller reported from Charles de Gaulle airport in Roissy, France. Associated Press reporters Emma Vandore, Laurent Lemel and Laurent Pirot in Paris and Marco Sibaja in Brasilia contributed to this report.
 

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BBC NEWS | UK | Britons could be on lost jet - PM

Britons could be on lost jet - PM

Prime Minister Gordon Brown has said he fears British citizens may have been among 228 people on board a French jet which disappeared over the Atlantic.

Flight AF 447 left Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, bound for Paris, at 1900 local time (2300 BST) on Sunday 31 May.

The Airbus suffered a short circuit at 0214 GMT caused - Air France officials suspect - by a lightning strike.

The Foreign Office is "urgently looking into" whether Britons were aboard. The PM promised "all checking necessary".

"I do fear there may be some British citizens on board," Mr Brown told Sky News.

"I have been in touch with the Foreign Office. There hasn't been contact with that plane for some time."

The Brazilian Air Force is searching for the plane, which is reported to have disappeared 300km (186 miles) north-east of the Brazilian city of Natal.

It was well over the ocean when it disappeared, making search efforts more difficult.

The Airbus 330-200, with a 12-strong crew and one baby and seven other children among the passengers, had been expected to arrive in Paris at 1110 local time (1010 GMT).

The French government has ruled out hijacking as a cause of the plane's loss.

Air France has opened a telephone hotline for friends and relatives of people on the plane - 00 33 1570 21055 for callers outside France and 0800 800812 for inside France.

 

indian_sukhoi

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The Aircraft crashed somewhere in atlantic, chances of survival is down to minimum!!!
 

Su-47

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Not exactly. There have been incidents where aircraft have manged safe landings in water. The plane is airtight, so its also naturally watertight. It will take a lot of pilot skill and truckloads of luck to achieve the feat, but lets keep our hopes alive.

Lets all hope the plane doesn't crash, and that the passengers will get home safely.
 

Shiny Capstar

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Not exactly. There have been incidents where aircraft have manged safe landings in water. The plane is airtight, so its also naturally watertight. It will take a lot of pilot skill and truckloads of luck to achieve the feat, but lets keep our hopes alive.

Lets all hope the plane doesn't crash, and that the passengers will get home safely.
Its the Atlantic Ocean, you don't land planes in that. There is a very low probability of actually landing a plane on calm water safely even, mostly they break up and everyone dies. The Atlantic is powerful, dangerous and very rough (not to mention the storms at the time). Any plane trying to land where this one went down would almost certainly fail, with disastrous consequences.
Besides if it had landed safely I think there are systems to send automatic distress signals, that or they would have been sent out. None have been received. Anyway even if they had landed the plane, it would have sunk quickly and with the Atlantic as it is anybody who got out would die quickly. The speed at which the plane likely went down would only shorten their chances.

It isn't nice but these people are lost, we can only hope it was quick and that God receives them well.
 

Sridhar

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Actually the aircraft has sent automatic signals as most of its electrical systems malfunctioned. So Air France has said it could be caught with a lightning.

safe landings can be done on beaches only, not in middle of the ocean.
 

Sridhar

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Pilot reports possible sighting of plane's wreckage
2009-06-02 07:36:29
Last Updated: 2009-06-02 07:38:54

Rio de Janeiro: A pilot from Brazil's airline TAM possibly spotted a burning piece of wreckage on the Atlantic Ocean while he was crossing the Atlantic early on Monday morning.

Images:Air France plane with 228 people disappears over Atlantic

The Brazilian Air Force confirmed late on Monday that the pilot saw "orange-coloured spots" in the middle of the Atlantic. The observation could have approximately corresponded to the time Air France 447 disappeared from radar.

AF447, with 228 people on board, went missing at about 0215 GMT on Monday. French President Nicolas Sarkozy said in Paris the chances of finding any survivors are "very slim".

The TAM crew "saw glowing spots on the high sea on its path between Europe and Brazil, about 1,300 km off the island Fernando de Noronha," according to media reports based on an announcement by the TAM airline.

'Plane hit by multiple technical failures'

Fernando de Noronha is about 350 km off the Brazilian coast. TAM informed Brazilian authorities of the sighting.

The Brazilian defence ministry said the search for the missing plane started around 0530 GMT, four hours after the plane disappeared from radar screens, around the island.
Pilot reports possible sighting of plane's wreckage
 

EnlightenedMonk

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Actually, the black box on such planes continues to emit a signal for almost 2 months which can be used to retrieve the black box and cockpit voice recorder and other vital equipment... of course, in such a case that might be a little difficult since the ocean is very deep and retrieving the black box is not always feasible...

But, if the emitted signal is picked up, it can give an approximate location of the black box and hence the wreckage...
 

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