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Air France Rio crash: Jet plunged in minutes | Air France Rio crash: Jet plunged in minutes |
(about 1 hour later) | |
The Air France jet which crashed into the Atlantic en route from Rio in 2009 stalled and fell in three and a half minutes, French investigators report. | The Air France jet which crashed into the Atlantic en route from Rio in 2009 stalled and fell in three and a half minutes, French investigators report. |
The air accident investigations bureau (BEA) found the crew had struggled with contradictory speed readings just before the plane crashed. | The air accident investigations bureau (BEA) found the crew had struggled with contradictory speed readings just before the plane crashed. |
The BEA statement did not look at the causes of the crash but one theory is that the jet's speed probes failed. | |
All 228 people on board were killed in the disaster. | All 228 people on board were killed in the disaster. |
The BEA findings were released in an online statement in response to speculation in the media over the findings from the flight recorders, only recovered from the sea this month. | The BEA findings were released in an online statement in response to speculation in the media over the findings from the flight recorders, only recovered from the sea this month. |
A full report into the disaster is not expected until next year. | A full report into the disaster is not expected until next year. |
While cautioning against a rush to conclusions, Air France said on Friday that it appeared "the initial problem was the failure of the speed probes". | |
Since the crash, the air line has replaced the speed, or Pitot, probes on its Airbus fleet with a newer model, AFP news agency reports. | |
'Inconsistent speeds' | 'Inconsistent speeds' |
Ahead of Friday's statement, the BEA said it wished to correct "partial and more or less contradictory information published in the media". | Ahead of Friday's statement, the BEA said it wished to correct "partial and more or less contradictory information published in the media". |
It was giving "factual elements on the operation of the flight that... establish the circumstances of the accident but not the causes". | It was giving "factual elements on the operation of the flight that... establish the circumstances of the accident but not the causes". |
Flight AF 447 went down on 1 June 2009 after running into an intense high-altitude thunderstorm, four hours into a flight from Rio de Janeiro in Brazil to Paris. | Flight AF 447 went down on 1 June 2009 after running into an intense high-altitude thunderstorm, four hours into a flight from Rio de Janeiro in Brazil to Paris. |
One of the instruments showed "a sharp fall" in air speed as the plane entered a zone of turbulence, the stall warning sounded and the autopilot and auto-thrust disengaged, the BEA said in its statement. | |
As the plane slowed, it climbed to 38,000 ft (11,600m). | |
At the time, the captain was taking a routine rest, with the two co-pilots in control in the cockpit. | |
As the co-pilots struggled to understand what had happened, the captain returned but did not retake control. | |
For a period of less than a minute, speeds displayed on the left primary flight display were inconsistent with those on the integrated standby instrument system, the BEA found. | |
French investigators have been working on the theory that the speed probes malfunctioned because of ice at high altitude. | |
This may have set off an unpredictable chain of events. | |
'Skilled pilots' | |
According to the data released by the BEA, the captain was back in the cockpit two minutes and 48 seconds before the crash. | |
Investigators found the composition of the crew had been "in accordance with the operator's procedures". | |
Air France praised Captain Marc Dubois and his co-pilots, Pierre-Cedric Bonin and David Robert, as "three skilled pilots" who had "demonstrated a totally professional attitude and were committed to carrying out their task to the very end". | |
Those on board the jet came from more than 30 countries, though most were French, Brazilian or German. | |
The wreckage of the plane was discovered after a long search of 10,000 sq km (3,860 sq miles) of sea floor. | The wreckage of the plane was discovered after a long search of 10,000 sq km (3,860 sq miles) of sea floor. |