Yaw String, the crew went to SELCAL mode at 0135. After that time, they did not reply to several queries from ATLANTICO. They thus would have missed any communications between ATLANTICO and the LH ahead of them regarding its deviation on encountering the MCC.
Was it prudent behavior going to SELCAL mode flying into a SIGMET area, and after receiving the following from dispatch?
at 0 h 31 dispatch sent the following message:
“BONJOUR AF447
METEO EN ROUTE SAILOR :
o PHOTO SAT DE 0000Z : CONVECTION ZCIT SALPU/TASIL
o PREVI CAT : NIL
SLTS DISPATCH”,
The yet-to-be-released portion of the CVR may have the answer.
The PF had performed five rotations in the South America sector since arriving in the A330/A340 division in 2008, including one to Rio de Janeiro.
The PNF had performed 39 rotations on the South America sector since arriving in the A330/A340 division in 2002.
The Captain had carried out sixteen rotations in the South America sector since he arrived in the A330/A340 division in 2007.
The data released to date do not indicate how many rotations occurred during the different seasonal variations of ITCZ activity in the South Atlantic..