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Air France 447 wreckage found in Atlantic

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  • 03-04-2011 11:20pm
    #1
    David086
    Registered Users Posts: 616 ✭✭✭


    http://www.rte.ie/news/2011/0403/airfrance.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

    French investigators have said that they have found parts of an Air France plane that crashed over the Atlantic while flying from Rio de Janeiro to Paris in June 2009, and hoped to locate the black boxes.

    The plane went down roughly midway between Brazil and Senegal on 1 June 2009, killing all 228 people on board including three Irish doctors, in the deadliest crash in Air France's history.

    France's Bureau of Investigation and Analysis (BEA) said in a statement 'during search operations in the sea carried out in the last 24 hours... the team on board the Alucia located parts of a plane.'

    The statement said that 'these elements were identified by BEA investigators as belonging to the wreckage of the A330-203 plane, flight AF 447.'

    BEA Director Jean-Paul Troadec also told AFP that investigators have hope of finding the plane's black boxes because the debris area was relatively concentrated.

    'The favourable news is that the debris area is relatively concentrated. And this gives us hope of finding the black boxes.' he said.

    Troadec said the parts of the wreckage that had been found consisted of 'engines and certain elements of the wing.'

    A new search for the wreckage had been launched on 25 March with the help of the Alucia, an American exploration vessel -- the fourth attempt to find the debris in hopes of discovering what caused the crash.

    The official cause remains undetermined, but it has been partly blamed on malfunctioning speed sensors used by Airbus, with Air France accused of not responding quickly enough to reports that they might be faulty.

    The Alucia came from Seattle in the northwest coast of the United States carrying three Remus submarines that were to search the ocean floor.
    Air France and Airbus are being investigated for alleged manslaughter in connection with the crash are paying the estimated $12.7m (€8.9m) cost of the search.

    The latest search includes a much larger area of a 46-mile (75-kilometre) radius around the last known position of Flight 447.

    A third search of the ocean floor to try to locate the black boxes ended in failure last May.


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    #2
    the_monkey
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,556 ✭✭✭the_monkey


    Beat me to it
    here is the BBC link - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-12953432

    A french judge has filed manslaughter charges against Air France :eek:

    For real ? what is the point in this ? Clearly wasn't a case of negligence...


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    #3
    David086
    Registered Users Posts: 616 ✭✭✭David086


    Doesn't the Flight Data Recorders run out after a certain period of time? (or something like that) I remember hearing something like that on the news when it happened.


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    #4
    Plowman
    Registered Users Posts: 2,630 ✭✭✭Plowman


    This post has been deleted.


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    #5
    Joe10000
    Registered Users Posts: 1,295 ✭✭✭Joe10000


    David086 wrote: »
    Doesn't the Flight Data Recorders run out after a certain period of time? (or something like that) I remember hearing something like that on the news when it happened.

    No but the radio beacon that helps you find them does.


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    #6
    Trotter
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,362 ✭✭✭Trotter


    Here's hoping for positive news on the black box search.


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    #7
    pclancy
    Registered Users Posts: 3,939 ✭✭✭pclancy


    Hopefully the data is intact, this will finally bring some eventual closure to the families.


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    #8
    basill
    Registered Users Posts: 1,348 ✭✭✭basill


    Clearly wasn't a case of negligence...

    How did you come to that conclusion when the investigators haven't yet recovered the the FDRs and CVRs.


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    #9
    Tenger
    Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators Posts: 9,754 Mod ✭✭✭✭Tenger


    David086 wrote: »
    Doesn't the Flight Data Recorders run out after a certain period of time? (or something like that) I remember hearing something like that on the news when it happened.

    The locater beacon only had battery for 30 days.


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    #10
    drdeadlift
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,189 ✭✭✭drdeadlift


    David086 wrote: »
    Doesn't the Flight Data Recorders run out after a certain period of time? (or something like that) I remember hearing something like that on the news when it happened.

    They only require power to record information,no power needed to store.


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    #11
    iPlop
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,822 ✭✭✭iPlop


    If it was faulty speed sensors, I wonder were other airlines contacted by airbus about speed sensors after the accident? ,this jet was new built in '05, Airbus obviously new something to be homing in on speed sensors.


    I hope this is not something like Aeroperú Flight 603 where the pitot static ports were taped over when the plane was being waxed and cleaned and the tape was never removed, causing the tragedy.

    Anyway we don't want to speculate we'll find out after the investigation.I hope the families get some closure soon.


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    #12
    cyrusdvirus
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,752 ✭✭✭cyrusdvirus


    They have just announced that the bodies will be brought up and identified.

    -- Bodies of 2009 Air France crash victims will be brought to surface and identified, French official says.

    http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/europe/04/04/france.jet.wreckage/index.html?hpt=T1


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    #13
    ellieh1
    Registered Users Posts: 638 ✭✭✭ellieh1


    gatecrash wrote: »
    They have just announced that the bodies will be brought up and identified.

    -- Bodies of 2009 Air France crash victims will be brought to surface and identified, French official says.

    http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/europe/04/04/france.jet.wreckage/index.html?hpt=T1

    Cross your fingers we get my cousin's body back, so we can bring her home.


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    #14
    David086
    Registered Users Posts: 616 ✭✭✭David086


    Flight attendant's not in their seats? Weird :confused:


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    #15
    Chuck Stone
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13,030 ✭✭✭✭Chuck Stone


    Why don't they make the black boxes so that they float? Seems like a major design flaw that they sink in water.


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    #16
    cyrusdvirus
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,752 ✭✭✭cyrusdvirus


    Chuck Stone wrote: »
    Why don't they make the black boxes so that they float? Seems like a major design flaw that they sink in water.

    What would be the difference if they could float or if then sink if they were entangled in wreckage?

    It's more important that they are damn near indestructible in order to survive crashes like this and be able to tell what happened. Because we still do not know.


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    #17
    A320
    Registered Users Posts: 708 ✭✭✭A320


    The Incredible Fridge wrote: »
    If it was faulty speed sensors, I wonder were other airlines contacted by airbus about speed sensors after the accident? ,this jet was new built in '05, Airbus obviously new something to be homing in on speed sensors..

    Airlines were contacted about Pitot probe replacement,even beforehand.

    I Still hope they find out exactly what happened and the DFDR and CVR are capable of holding tough under those conditions for so long.

    F/A's not in seats is of no concern,why would they be at crz alt on a long haul flight?? they probably hit that storm or whatever happened so suddenly there was no time to find their seats.Anyway theres no proof they weren't until any sort of proper report comes out,anything else is hearsay.


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    #18
    transylman
    Registered Users Posts: 599 ✭✭✭transylman


    Looks like the flight recorders will be recovered. There is still the question of whether they will have been able to survice the impact, the water pressure at that depth, and almost two years of deterioration. You also have to wonder if the electrical problems affected their record ability.


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    #19
    A320
    Registered Users Posts: 708 ✭✭✭A320


    Ya hopefully they can salvage them and give people answers and closure


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    #20
    roundymac
    Registered Users Posts: 2,712 ✭✭✭roundymac


    Chuck Stone wrote: »
    Why don't they make the black boxes so that they float? Seems like a major design flaw that they sink in water.
    The black box's which are actually coloured orange are stored deep inside the hull of the aircraft, by the tail as far as I know as this is considered the safest place.


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    #21
    A320
    Registered Users Posts: 708 ✭✭✭A320


    Il upload a pic of one if ye want


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    #22
    David086
    Registered Users Posts: 616 ✭✭✭David086


    A320 wrote: »
    Here from an A320

    I always thought they looked like some sort of a small brief case but obviously not.


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    #23
    A320
    Registered Users Posts: 708 ✭✭✭A320


    sorry for that there david,my first time uploading a pic and i manage to screw it up

    Fixed.Thats the cockpit voice recorder,the DFDR is slightly longer


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    #24
    smellslikeshoes
    Registered Users Posts: 3,354 ✭✭✭smellslikeshoes


    Chuck Stone wrote: »
    Why don't they make the black boxes so that they float? Seems like a major design flaw that they sink in water.

    As has been said they would probably stay tangled in wreckage but even if they did manage to get free having a floating black box would probably be more of a hindrance than anything else. At least with a black box that doesn't float it's going to stay with the wreckage, so no matter what happens if you find the wreckage there is a good chance you will also find the black box. Imagine the hassle of searching the Atlantic for a orange box a few feet in size, if you didn't find it in the first few hours it could end up anywhere.


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    #25
    radar0976
    Registered Users Posts: 433 ✭✭radar0976


    Pictures of the wreckage were released by the French this evening. Got this from Twitter.

    @ThingsWithWings: AF447: Pictures of Newly Discovered Wreckage http://bit.ly/eWkCDC


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    #26
    BuffyBot
    Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators Posts: 24,924 Mod ✭✭✭✭BuffyBot


    Why don't they make the black boxes so that they float? Seems like a major design flaw that they sink in water.

    It would be an even bigger flaw if they floated. The tides could carry them half way around the world..


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    #27
    A320
    Registered Users Posts: 708 ✭✭✭A320


    Ya true,anything that floated would all be well and good if SAR teams could get on the scene almost straight away and its probably not going to surface anyway with the rest of the aircraft as it mounted on a rack, maybe in a perfect world!!!

    The simple solution is on-time downloads from the Recorders to the airlines computers in a control centre,similar to ACMS (a system similar to the flurry of messages Air France received from the aircraft before it disappeared)


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    #28
    ForceOfNature
    Registered Users Posts: 59 ✭✭ForceOfNature


    This may be impossible but how about if the recorders could indeed float, but they had a small solar panel on them too - this way they could continuously transmit a signal and therefore be easily found ???


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    #29
    cyrusdvirus
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,752 ✭✭✭cyrusdvirus


    ForceOfNature wrote: »
    This may be impossible but how about if the recorders could indeed float, but they had a small solar panel on them too - this way they could continuously transmit a signal and therefore be easily found ???

    A ship is designed to float, and can be as big and strong as you want, but if you ram one into the water at 200 mph it won't float for too long.

    Floating Cvrs and fdrs are not the way to go. Its more important to get real time info being transmitted, but that's not technologically possible yet.

    Failing that, make them as strong as you can


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    #30
    A320
    Registered Users Posts: 708 ✭✭✭A320


    I believe a real time link is possible,sure look at acars and acms.it could be transmitted and also kept in the solid state physically


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    #31
    Joe10000
    Registered Users Posts: 1,295 ✭✭✭Joe10000


    radar0976 wrote: »
    Pictures of the wreckage were released by the French this evening. Got this from Twitter.

    @ThingsWithWings: AF447: Pictures of Newly Discovered Wreckage http://bit.ly/eWkCDC

    Amazing, we take photos like this for granted so easily these days.


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