Probe Finds Airspeed Sensors Failed on at Least 12 U.S. Flights
This suggests that loss of airspeed indication alone should not have brought down AF447. There must have been some other relatively unique factors involved. I believe this lends weight to PJ2's comments along this line. Probe icing is not enough by itself to account for the problem.
I might wonder if the relative lack of light outside the cockpit made it impossible during heavy turbulence to maintain proper attitude. Remarks here indicate that in severe turbulence, when you may need it the most, attitude indication, and indeed all the instruments, become very difficult to read. Would that combination be sufficient to account for AF447?
This also suggests to me that there has been a bad pitot probe problem for quite some time, particularly with the Thales probes. Thales is already hedging itself with the whine that they built their probes to AirBus specifications. I see some blame shifting and finger pointing rather than efforts to fix a bad situation. I also see some indication that this problem may have been covered up for quite some time now.
It's expensive to replace these probes unless the public learns enough to demand it. With the relatively low caps on liability for deaths that airlines face there is the specter of a lost plane here and there is a simple "business expense". The plane itself costs more than the payouts for the deaths, I believe. That gives me pause to think about flying, as if the TSA hassles are not enough for that.
JD-EE