AF447

[mm43]

Hyperveloce

Strange, the speed between ORARO and the last known position at 02:10Z is much lower than between the other markers ! (435 kts versus 470 kts ?!).

The positions plotted on Google Earth are as follows:-

TASIL 4°00'18"N 29°59'24"W
LKP 2°58'48"N 30°35'24"W
ORARO 2°14'48"N 30°55'24"W
0200 1°48'36"N 31°09'06"W
0150 0°39'54"N 31°45'24"W
SALPU 0°26'36"N 31°52'36"W

Even though the Last Known Position (LKP) is timed at 02:10:34, that time is the logged time of the Ground Station / Aircraft 'handshake'. The nominal time is assumed to be 02:10:00z. AOC reports take precedence over maintenance traffic, and I presume the 0210 one was slotted into the sequence immediately following the receipt of a message being transmitted.

The positions are shown with a precision of 0.1', though it should be noted that the LKP is only accurate to 0.01° - or +/- 1824 feet (556m).

ORARO to LKP is 024.4°T x 48.3NM
02:03:50 ORARO ~ 02:10:00 LKP = 48.3[1/(6.1667 / 60)] = 469.9KT
02:03:50 ORARO ~ 02:10:34 LKP = 48.3[1/(6.7333 / 60)] = 430.4KT

I'm happy to stand corrected if anyone is able to prove the LKP time-stamp is different. The original BEA graphic shows the LKP as 0210z.

mm43