Air France Airbus goes down

**jandajoy** · 01-06-2009, 06:34 PM

Just in on Sky news.

An Air France Airbus out of Rio en route to Paris has gone down. Searches underway but Air France holds little hope. 200 plus onboard.

**Chili Pepper** · 01-06-2009, 06:37 PM

An Air France plane carrying at least 228 people from Brazil to France has gone missing over the Atlantic.

Paris Charles de Gaulle airport says contact was lost with the flight from Rio de Janeiro early in the morning.

Brazil's air force confirmed the plane was missing and said a search and rescue mission was under way near the island of Fernando de Noronha.

An airport official told AFP the Airbus 330-200 had been expected to arrive in Paris at 1110 local time (0910 GMT).

Another official said it was possible that the plane had a transponder problem but this was very rare.

"We are very worried," he said, quoted by AFP news agency.

Flight AF 447 left Rio at 1900 local time (2200 GMT) on Sunday. It had 216 passengers and 12 crew on board, including three pilots.

An Air France spokeswoman said there had been no radio contact with the plane "for a while".

It is reported to have disappeared 300km (186 miles) north-east of the Brazilian city of Natal.

Source: BBC News

**Marmite the Dog** · 01-06-2009, 06:37 PM

I hate these reports. It's my biggest fear to get stuck in a huge metal coffin as it falls out the sky.

Poor bastards.

**TSR2** · 01-06-2009, 06:38 PM

suppose we will now get all kinds of shit as to why the plane went down,

That,s how they make / sell news

Lets wait for the Blackbox etc

**jandajoy** · 01-06-2009, 06:40 PM

Air France jet disappears from radar, 'out of fuel'

Posted 1 hour 29 minutes ago
Updated 6 minutes ago

Air traffic control lost contact with the plane not long after it took off. (file photo) (Reuters)

Airport officials in Paris say an Air France passenger plane is missing off the coast of Brazil, and a senior French minister says it would have run out of fuel by now.
Air traffic control lost contact with the plane a few hours ago, not long after it took off from Rio de Janeiro on a flight to Paris with 228 people on board.
"By now it would be beyond its kerosene reserves so unfortunately we must now envisage the most tragic scenario," said Jean-Louis Borloo, the second most senior figure in the cabinet.
Mr Borloo told France Info radio that the plane had disappeared from military as well as civilian radar screens.
Air traffic control lost contact with the Airbus A330 at 0600 GMT (4pm AEST) after it took off from Rio de Janeiro bound for Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris, where it had been due to land at 0910 GMT (7.10pm AEST).
"We are very worried," said a Paris airport official.
"The plane disappeared from the screens several hours ago. It could be a transponder problem, but this kind of fault is very rare and the plane did not land when expected."
Brazil's air force says its planes have begun searching for the airliner.
Henry Wilson, a Brazilian air force spokesman, said planes had taken off from the island of Fernando de Noronha off Brazil's north-east coast to look for the Air France jet.
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 travelling on board flight AF 447 were being taken care of in a special area of Charles de Gaulle airport.
Five Italians were on the flight, ANSA news agency has reported, but authorities have not yet confirmed they were onboard.
Brazil had two major plane crashes in 2006 and 2007, raising concerns about the safety of air travel in Latin America's largest country.
In July 2007, all 187 people on board and 12 people on the ground died when a TAM airline Airbus A 320 overshot a runway at Sao Paulo's Congonhas airport.
In September 2006, a Gol airline passenger jet crashed in the Amazon jungle after it and a small private plane collided.
All 154 people on board died.
- AFP/Reuters

Not looking good.

**jandajoy** · 01-06-2009, 07:10 PM

French plane lost over Atlantic
An Air France plane carrying 228 people from Brazil's Rio de Janeiro to France has gone missing over the Atlantic.
Air France said the plane sent a message at 0214 GMT saying it had an electrical short circuit after experiencing turbulence.
Brazil's air force said a search and rescue mission was under way near the island of Fernando de Noronha.
It added that the plane was well across the Atlantic when it disappeared, and the search had to cover a wide area.
French minister Jean-Louis Borloo said the plane had probably had an accident and ruled out hijacking.
An airport official told AFP the Airbus 330-200 had been expected to arrive in Paris at 1110 local time (0910 GMT).
Another official said it was possible that the plane had a transponder problem but this was very rare.
"We are very worried," he said, quoted by AFP news agency.
Crisis centre
Mr Borloo, the minister in charge of transport, said the plane would already have run out of fuel.
"By now it would be beyond its kerosene reserves so unfortunately we must now envisage the most tragic scenario," he said, quoted by Reuters news agency.
Flight AF 447 left Rio at 1900 local time (2200 GMT) on Sunday. It had 216 passengers and 12 crew on board, including three pilots.
An Air France spokeswoman said there had been no radio contact with the plane "for a while".

TIMELINE
<li class="bull"> Flight AF 447 left Rio at 1900 local time (2200 GMT) on Sunday <li class="bull"> Airbus A330-200 carrying 216 passengers and at least 12 crew <li class="bull"> Contact lost 0130 GMT <li class="bull"> Missed scheduled landing at 1110 local time (0910 GMT) in Paris

It is reported to have disappeared 300km (186 miles) north-east of the Brazilian city of Natal.
Brazilian air force spokesman Col Henry Munhoz told Brazilian TV it had failed to be picked up by radar on the Cape Verde Islands on its way across the Atlantic.
"Air force planes left Fernando de Noronha and are flying towards Europe to start the search for the missing plane," he said.
Airport authorities have set up a crisis centre at Charles de Gaulle.
An Air France official told AFP that people awaiting the flight would be received in a special area at the airport's second terminal.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy has been informed of the incident and has expressed his deep concern, his office said.
He has demanded that the relevant authorities do everything they can to find the plane and "shed light on the circumstances surrounding its disappearance as rapidly as possible".
This is the first major incident in Brazilian air space since a Tam flight crashed in Sao Paulo in July 2007 killing 199 people.

Story from BBC NEWS:
BBC NEWS | Americas | French plane lost over Atlantic

Published: 2009/06/01 11:53:59 GMT

© BBC MMIX

**panama hat** · 01-06-2009, 07:30 PM

Very, very sad.

**Rural Surin** · 01-06-2009, 07:31 PM

Originally Posted by Marmite the Dog

I hate these reports. It's my biggest fear to get stuck in a huge metal coffin as it falls out the sky.

Poor bastards.

Very scary. Worst fears expected regarding stories of this nature.

**dirtydog** · 01-06-2009, 07:33 PM

**Rural Surin** · 01-06-2009, 07:43 PM

Considering all long-hauls are equipped with automatic location beacons.....hope all is well.

**Marmite the Dog** · 01-06-2009, 07:45 PM

Are Air France still using old, decrepit aeroplanes like the one I was on from Paris to Bangkok?

**dirtydog** · 01-06-2009, 07:52 PM

**TSR2** · 01-06-2009, 07:55 PM

Originally Posted by Marmite the Dog

Are Air France still using old, decrepit aeroplanes like the one I was on from Paris to Bangkok?

Same Thai Airways

Fly Arab (regettably)

**klong toey** · 01-06-2009, 07:55 PM

Originally Posted by Marmite the Dog

Are Air France still using old, decrepit aeroplanes like the one I was on from Paris to Bangkok?

Registration: F-GZCP ? C/n / msn: 660 First flight: 2005-02-25 (4 years 3 months)no not this time.

watterinja · 01-06-2009, 08:00 PM

To be honest, I'm always amazed at arriving at the destination without incident.

Conservative engineer type who was taught that the design fatigue life for many airplane components was something in the order of 1000 cycles.

This reminds me of the SAA Helderberg disaster of former years.

**Loy Toy** · 01-06-2009, 08:00 PM

226 souls on board!

My heart goes out to the families.

**Rural Surin** · 01-06-2009, 08:11 PM

Originally Posted by watterinja

To be honest, I'm always amazed at arriving at the destination without incident.

Conservative engineer type who was taught that the design fatigue life for many airplane components was something in the order of 1000 cycles.

This reminds me of the SAA Helderberg disaster of former years.

To be fair with the industry, think of the thousands of flights daily - month in a month out - without incident. The occasional mishap or tragedy brings much attention to our senses. It's an imperfect universe. I'm hoping the best for this latest event.

**Chili Pepper** · 01-06-2009, 08:22 PM

Update on BBC News......

"An Air France plane carrying 228 people from Brazil to France has vanished over the Atlantic after a possible lightning strike, airline officials say.

The Airbus sent an automatic message at 0214 GMT, four hours after leaving Rio de Janeiro, reporting a short circuit as it flew through strong turbulence. It was well over the ocean when it was lost, making Brazilian and French search planes' task more difficult. Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris has set up a crisis centre.

"The plane might have been struck by lightning - it's a possibility," Francois Brousse, head of communications at Air France, told reporters in Paris.

France's minister responsible for transportation, Jean-Louis Borloo, ruled out hijacking as a cause of the plane's loss".

Originally Posted by Rural Surin

I'm hoping the best for this latest event.

Sadly, it seems all hope is lost

**crippen** · 02-06-2009, 12:46 AM

They are now talking about rapid 'de-pressurisation and massive structural failure' what ever that implies. Sky News

**dirtydog** · 02-06-2009, 12:58 AM

**klong toey** · 02-06-2009, 01:40 AM

Originally Posted by crippen

They are now talking about rapid 'de-pressurisation and massive structural failure' what ever that implies. Sky News

If it was stuck by lighting, there is a chance that if a carbon composite part of the aircraft was stuck,it would just disintegrate.And the rest of the aircraft would brake up.

**dirtydog** · 02-06-2009, 02:10 AM

passenger nationalities revealed

Most of the passengers on board the Air France plane which has disappeared over the Atlantic were Brazilians and French nationals, airline officials said.

Air France confirmed 61 French and 58 Brazilian passengers were among the 216 passengers on board flight 447.

A list provided by Brazil's authorities showed 26 Germans were also on board as well as nine Chinese and nine Italians.

Six Swiss, five British, five Lebanese and four Hungarians were on the flight from Rio de Janeiro to Paris.

Those on board also included three Irish, three Norwegians, three Slovaks, two Americans two Moroccans, as well as individuals from Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Croatia, Demark, the Netherlands, Estonia, the Philippines, The Gambia, Iceland, Romania, Russia, South Africa, Sweden and Turkey.

No details have yet been given about the 12 crew.

Phone line

"Air France expresses its deepest sympathy to the relatives and friends of the passengers and crew who were on board this flight," the airline said in a statement on its website.

It said it was doing its utmost to support relatives and friends, and had set up counselling services at both the French and Brazilian airports.

A special phone line has been set up for relatives and friends.

The Michelin tyre company earlier said three of its executives were on the flight, including the president of its South American operations, Luiz Roberto Anastacio.

It is also believed that Erich Heine, an executive board member at the German steelmaker ThyssenKrupp, was on board.

He is also the chairman of the company's Brazilian unit - Companhia Siderurgica do Atlantico - a joint venture between ThyssenKrupp and a Brazilian mining company.

BBC NEWS | Americas | Passenger nationalities revealed

**Mr Brown** · 02-06-2009, 02:11 AM

Originally Posted by Marmite the Dog

Are Air France still using old, decrepit aeroplanes like the one I was on from Paris to Bangkok?

Apparently this particular plane model (Airbus) has a very good saftey record

**Takeovers** · 02-06-2009, 02:31 AM

From the sketchy news it sounds as if they are just searching along the flight path.

If planes go down it is usually after takeoff or before landing. They can be found even over sea. This one got lost from flight altitude in the middle of the ocean.

I do wonder, how precisely they can determine at what time the plane went down. If they cannot determine that from the radiocontacts with any precision they have to search a vast area of ocean and may never find it. How long woud any debis float on the surface?

**Scandinavian** · 02-06-2009, 04:37 AM

The A330-200 is a very robust workhorse, an electric failure during turbulence...well, lets see what the blackbox has to tell.
I was flying cockpit once, on a stby tkt, in an MD11. We had some real turbulence, but not as much as a fuse popped. ( i was pax not crew)

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