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Air France jet missing

Posted: Mon Jun 01, 2009 11:01 am
by Sickbag
On route from Brazil to France. No more details yet.
Doesn't sound good.

Re: Air France jet missing

Posted: Mon Jun 01, 2009 11:09 am
by David Hilditch
Seems aircraft type is an A330.

Re: Air France jet missing

Posted: Mon Jun 01, 2009 11:23 am
by flyingspark
Should have landed over an hour ago according to the BBC

Re: Air France jet missing

Posted: Mon Jun 01, 2009 11:24 am
by B77W-QOTS

Re: Air France jet missing

Posted: Mon Jun 01, 2009 11:31 am
by B77W-QOTS

Re: Air France jet missing

Posted: Mon Jun 01, 2009 12:02 pm
by el
That would be the first A330 to crash in regular operations, wouldn't it?

Re: Air France jet missing

Posted: Mon Jun 01, 2009 12:08 pm
by David Hilditch
That would be the first A330 to crash in regular operations, wouldn't it?
Yes.

Re: Air France jet missing

Posted: Mon Jun 01, 2009 12:09 pm
by el
France2 TV reports that pilot informed ATC about very heavy turbulences at 3h30 this morning before communication was interrupted ...

Re: Air France jet missing

Posted: Mon Jun 01, 2009 12:57 pm
by 3WE
News just said they have heard from the plane... (presumably landed somewhere)...with electrical problems.

If this story continues to be true- it is going to be funny and interesting.

All these modern electronics and you totally dissapear from radar and lose your radios, cell phones, etc for hours?

Re: Air France jet missing

Posted: Mon Jun 01, 2009 12:58 pm
by B77W-QOTS
CNN reporting a/c involved is F-GZCP

Re: Air France jet missing

Posted: Mon Jun 01, 2009 1:13 pm
by supersean
News just said they have heard from the plane... (presumably landed somewhere)...with electrical problems.

If this story continues to be true- it is going to be funny and interesting.

All these modern electronics and you totally dissapear from radar and lose your radios, cell phones, etc for hours?
Source? I have not seen any such similar stories. If this is indeed true it would be a very weird and concerning scenario

Re: Air France jet missing

Posted: Mon Jun 01, 2009 1:15 pm
by Frankie
No hope left, they say:
Für die vom Radar verschwundene Maschine der Air France mit 231 Menschen an Bord besteht nach Angaben der Pariser Flughafenbehörden "keine Hoffnung" mehr. Der Airbus 330 war in Rio Richtung Paris gestartet und Montagfrüh kurz nach dem Start über dem Atlantik vom Radar verschwunden. Die Lage spreche für "die Hypothese eines Unfalls", sagte der für Verkehr zuständige Umweltminister Jean-Louis Borloo der Nachrichtenagentur AFP in Paris. Die Möglichkeit einer Entführung schließe er "klar" aus. Diesen Artikel weiter lesen
Ähnliche Fotos/Videos
"Keine Hoffnung" mehr für Air-France-Flug Rio-Paris Bild vergrößern

Eine Air-France-Sprecherin hatte zuvor mitgeteilt, die Fluglinie müsse mit Bedauern mitteilen, dass es keine Nachricht von der Maschine mit der Flugnummer AF 447 gebe. Am Pariser Flughafen Charles de Gaulle wurde ein Krisenstab eingesetzt, Verkehrsminister Dominique Busserau wurde erwartet. Die brasilianischen Behörden starteten derweil vor der Küste die Suche nach der verschwundenen Maschine.
R.I.P.

(...) http://de.news.yahoo.com/2/20090601/twl ... dc673.html

Re: Air France jet missing

Posted: Mon Jun 01, 2009 1:39 pm
by supersean
No hope left, they say:
Für die vom Radar verschwundene Maschine der Air France mit 231 Menschen an Bord besteht nach Angaben der Pariser Flughafenbehörden "keine Hoffnung" mehr. Der Airbus 330 war in Rio Richtung Paris gestartet und Montagfrüh kurz nach dem Start über dem Atlantik vom Radar verschwunden. Die Lage spreche für "die Hypothese eines Unfalls", sagte der für Verkehr zuständige Umweltminister Jean-Louis Borloo der Nachrichtenagentur AFP in Paris. Die Möglichkeit einer Entführung schließe er "klar" aus. Diesen Artikel weiter lesen
Ähnliche Fotos/Videos
"Keine Hoffnung" mehr für Air-France-Flug Rio-Paris Bild vergrößern

Eine Air-France-Sprecherin hatte zuvor mitgeteilt, die Fluglinie müsse mit Bedauern mitteilen, dass es keine Nachricht von der Maschine mit der Flugnummer AF 447 gebe. Am Pariser Flughafen Charles de Gaulle wurde ein Krisenstab eingesetzt, Verkehrsminister Dominique Busserau wurde erwartet. Die brasilianischen Behörden starteten derweil vor der Küste die Suche nach der verschwundenen Maschine.
R.I.P.

(...) http://de.news.yahoo.com/2/20090601/twl ... dc673.html
Since this story is still in motion let us hope & pray for the best for those on board & their families & friend

Re: Air France jet missing

Posted: Mon Jun 01, 2009 2:27 pm
by Frankie
Right...

Re: Air France jet missing

Posted: Mon Jun 01, 2009 2:49 pm
by J
Here is a stock CNN piece on the A330.
Excerpt:
According to aviation expert Kieran Daly, the A330-200 is a "reliable, ultra-modern, state-of-the-art airplane," with an impeccable safety record.

He told CNN that there has only been one reported incident when an aircraft of this type has crashed.

"The incident took place in 1994 before the aircraft came into service," he said. "It was being flown in test-mode by pilots who were putting it through some extreme maneuvers before it came down.

"Therefore the crash was not caused by the plane itself.

"It is very well-designed and well-equipped, with equally modern and reliable General Electric CF-6 engines."

Air France has said that flight AF 447 sent an automatic signal indicating electrical problems while going through strong turbulence early in its 11-hour flight from Rio de Janeiro to Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris.

However, Daly said that it would take extremely violent weather conditions to cause the catastrophic failure of an aircraft of this size.

Source: http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/americas/ ... il.safety/

Re: Air France jet missing

Posted: Mon Jun 01, 2009 2:49 pm
by Putt4Par
News just said they have heard from the plane... (presumably landed somewhere)...with electrical problems.

If this story continues to be true- it is going to be funny and interesting.

All these modern electronics and you totally dissapear from radar and lose your radios, cell phones, etc for hours?

I hope you are right but I think you are wrong. All I have read points to a disaster.

Re: Air France jet missing

Posted: Mon Jun 01, 2009 3:07 pm
by Sir Gallivant
All these modern electronics and you totally dissapear from radar and lose your radios, cell phones, etc for hours?
The coverage of radar, let alone cell phones, is likely nil in the area where the aircraft is presumed to have disappeared. HF radio or satellite communication would be the only contact to land based radio stations. Otherwise, if they are able, they would have to contact other passing aircraft for relaying messages.

Re: Air France jet missing

Posted: Mon Jun 01, 2009 3:08 pm
by 3WE
News just said they have heard from the plane... (presumably landed somewhere)...with electrical problems.

If this story continues to be true- it is going to be funny and interesting.

All these modern electronics and you totally dissapear from radar and lose your radios, cell phones, etc for hours?
At ~6:59 CDT the local news was ending just before the network went to the national morning program. The "infobabe" said, "This just in, that AirFrance plane we told you about earlier has checked in and is OK, they lost contact due to an electrical problem".....

I thought "Wonderful, surely they have that confirmed"

As the lines go, "don't think" and "don't call me Shirly"

Given that two hours have elapsed and no one else is saying this, it sounds like classic, mediocre media behavior.

:cry:

Re: Air France jet missing

Posted: Mon Jun 01, 2009 3:16 pm
by FrankM
Just heard on the radio that they assume it was hit by lightning. Ialways thought this was impossible ...

Re: Air France jet missing

Posted: Mon Jun 01, 2009 3:19 pm
by el
Just heard on the radio that they assume it was hit by lightning. Ialways thought this was impossible ...
AF has issued a statement where they specifically include the possibility of the plane being hit by lightning resulting in a complete shutdown of all electrical circuits.

source: focus online

Re: Air France jet missing

Posted: Mon Jun 01, 2009 3:25 pm
by sindeewell
Just heard on CNN from a press release from Brazilian Military:

Plane did not check in at designated time after reported electrical malfuntion report was received @ Air France headquarters in France from plane. It was 3 hours later before Brazil sent out search/rescue. Reports say that there is a gap in timeline.

Re: Air France jet missing

Posted: Mon Jun 01, 2009 3:27 pm
by sindeewell
Also this from the Air France Corporate Website:
Press release N° 3
Air France has sent all the information in its possession on the disappearance of flight AF 447 operating the Rio de Janeiro – Paris-Charles de Gaulle route to the French Accident Investigation Bureau for civil aviation (BEA), the French organization in charge of technical investigations into civil aviation incidents and accidents, and to the aircraft manufacturer Airbus. Air France is in permanent contact with the BEA and Airbus.



The Airbus A330-200 aircraft, registration F-GZCP, left Rio on 31 May at 7:03pm local time (12:03am in Paris). The aircraft hit a zone of stormy weather with strong turbulence at 2am this morning (universal time), i.e. 4am in Paris. An automatic message was received from the aircraft at 2:14am (4:14am in Paris) indicating a failure in the electric circuit in an area a long way off the coast.



The aircraft was powered with General Electric CF6-80E engines.



The aircraft had totalled 18,870 flight hours and went into service on 18 April 2005.

Its last maintenance check in the hangar took place on 16 April 2009.



Air France shares the anxiety and distress of the families concerned. The families are being taken care of in a specially reserved area of Paris-Charles de Gaulle Terminal 2.



A toll-free number has been opened at 0800 800 812 in France,

at 0800 881 20 20 in Brazil

and + 33 1 57 02 10 55 for calls from outside France.

NB: We ask journalists not to call this number, which is reserved for families and close relatives.

Re: Air France jet missing

Posted: Mon Jun 01, 2009 3:30 pm
by el
Rumours have it that the plane (automatically) reported pressurisation probems as well in addition to the electrical probems.

Re: Air France jet missing

Posted: Mon Jun 01, 2009 3:32 pm
by einesellesenie
Hey folks!

By the tone of the local news, it seems like a done deal: the passenger list is supposed to be released anytime now.

Reports mention a royal family member (Brazilian royal family, yes they exist) and Michelin's South American President on board.

Re: Air France jet missing

Posted: Mon Jun 01, 2009 3:37 pm
by GlennAB1
Just heard on the radio that they assume it was hit by lightning. Ialways thought this was impossible ...
Aircraft are struck by lightning quite often.

Very sad news this morning.