Squawk Indent
If my calculation is correct It would mean that crew would have drastically reduced its speed after INTOL.
INTOL to TASIL is 364NM and irrespective of the SALPU ORARO intermediate reporting waypoints, the ETA TASIL was 0220z based on M0.82 FL350 OAT 45°C. This gives a GS of 477NM -10KT headwind = 467KT.
BEA have previously published the auto SATCOM 10 min reports transmitted from departure Rio de Janerio up to and including 0210z. Checking the A/C positions would tend to suggest that there was an easterly component in the headwind and the A/C had drifted nearly 3NM left of track by 0200z. Reference to the MET data published by BEA would also confirm an increasing east component in the wind closer to TASIL.
ATLANTICO requested ETA TASIL from AF447 following the by INTOL SELCAL check (01:35:43). There has been no evidence presented by BEA to suggest that ATLANTICO actually tried to SELCAL the aircraft when not receiving an answer to the requested time at TASIL.
The requested time for TASIL would suggest that ATLANTICO did not require reports at either SALPU or ORARO - probably due to no known conflicting traffic.
Other than ACARS messages that indicate the SATCOM ANT was still locked to the satellite at 0214z, and the rejected attempts by AF447 to log on to DAKAR ATC, the only other recorded contact with the A/C was the last squawk received at 0148z when approx 250NM from SBFN secondary radar.
0201z was the last rejected log on to DAKAR ATC, and it is reasonable to assume that FLT OPS were normal at that time, and there is no evidence to suggest that speed had drastically been reduced after INTOL.
mm43