AIr France Passenger Jet drops off Radar
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AIr France Passenger Jet drops off Radar
Air France passenger jet drops off radar
From correspondents in ParisAgence France-PresseJune 01, 2009 08:08pm
"Very worried" ... the Air France passenger jet went missing over the Atlantic off the Brazilian coast / AFP
Dropped off radar over the Atlantic
216 passengers, 12 crew on board
"We are very worried"
AN Air France passenger jet with 228 people on board is missing after dropping off the radar over the Atlantic off the Brazilian coast.
Flight AF 447 was on its way from Brazil to Paris. It had 216 passengers and 12 crew on board, Air France said.
"We are very worried," a Paris airport official said.
"The plane disappeared from the screens several hours ago. It could be a transponder problem, but this kind of fault is very rare and the plane did not land when expected."
Air traffic control lost contact with the Airbus A330 at 0600 GMT (1600 AEST) after it took off from Rio de Janeiro bound for Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris, where it had been due to land at 0910 GMT (1910 AEST).
Airport authorities have set up a crisis cell at Charles de Gaulle.
More to come ... <My thoughts are with the crew and passengers
From correspondents in ParisAgence France-PresseJune 01, 2009 08:08pm
"Very worried" ... the Air France passenger jet went missing over the Atlantic off the Brazilian coast / AFP
Dropped off radar over the Atlantic
216 passengers, 12 crew on board
"We are very worried"
AN Air France passenger jet with 228 people on board is missing after dropping off the radar over the Atlantic off the Brazilian coast.
Flight AF 447 was on its way from Brazil to Paris. It had 216 passengers and 12 crew on board, Air France said.
"We are very worried," a Paris airport official said.
"The plane disappeared from the screens several hours ago. It could be a transponder problem, but this kind of fault is very rare and the plane did not land when expected."
Air traffic control lost contact with the Airbus A330 at 0600 GMT (1600 AEST) after it took off from Rio de Janeiro bound for Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris, where it had been due to land at 0910 GMT (1910 AEST).
Airport authorities have set up a crisis cell at Charles de Gaulle.
More to come ... <My thoughts are with the crew and passengers
Nunc est bibendum
An expanded report.....probably more info in the main rumour and news section also.
Air France jet with 231 people on board 'drops off radar'
An Air France passenger jet with 231 people on board is missing after dropping off radar screens over the Atlantic Ocean on a flight from Brazil.
Air traffic controllers lost contact with the Airbus A330-200 at 0600 GMT, eight hours after it took off from Rio de Janeiro bound for Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris.
A spokeswoman for the airline said today: "Air France announces with regret that it is without news of flight AF447 from Rio to Paris, which has 216 passengers aboard, and shares the fears of the families involved."
Air France said that there were a total of 15 crew aboard the plane, including three technicians.
An official at the Paris airport authority said: "We are very worried. The plane disappeared from the screens several hours ago. It could be a transponder problem, but this kind of fault is very rare and the plane did not land when expected."
The aircraft was due to arrive in Paris at 11.10 am (0910GMT), which means that it would have been approaching the coast of North Africa or Spain when it lost contact.
Airport authorities have set up a crisis cell at Charles de Gaulle and Air France said all those waiting for the flight would be given access to a special waiting area at the airport's second terminal.
The aircraft in question, tail number F-GZCP, came into service in February 2005.
President Sarkozy's office said that he had asked authorities to "do all they could" to help find the missing aricraft. In a statement, the Elysée said that the President had been informed of the loss of contact this morning and had expressed "the greatest anxiety"
Source: Timesonline.co.uk
An Air France passenger jet with 231 people on board is missing after dropping off radar screens over the Atlantic Ocean on a flight from Brazil.
Air traffic controllers lost contact with the Airbus A330-200 at 0600 GMT, eight hours after it took off from Rio de Janeiro bound for Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris.
A spokeswoman for the airline said today: "Air France announces with regret that it is without news of flight AF447 from Rio to Paris, which has 216 passengers aboard, and shares the fears of the families involved."
Air France said that there were a total of 15 crew aboard the plane, including three technicians.
An official at the Paris airport authority said: "We are very worried. The plane disappeared from the screens several hours ago. It could be a transponder problem, but this kind of fault is very rare and the plane did not land when expected."
The aircraft was due to arrive in Paris at 11.10 am (0910GMT), which means that it would have been approaching the coast of North Africa or Spain when it lost contact.
Airport authorities have set up a crisis cell at Charles de Gaulle and Air France said all those waiting for the flight would be given access to a special waiting area at the airport's second terminal.
The aircraft in question, tail number F-GZCP, came into service in February 2005.
President Sarkozy's office said that he had asked authorities to "do all they could" to help find the missing aricraft. In a statement, the Elysée said that the President had been informed of the loss of contact this morning and had expressed "the greatest anxiety"
Source: Timesonline.co.uk
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Geoffrey Thomas yapping his trap on aussie Sky News makes me want to 
talk about sensationalising things and some of his responses to reasonable questions can only be described as outright scare-mongering.
Sadly it looks as though the outcome will not be good, I guess now all we can hope for is that everyone may be returned to their families quickly so that this process is not too drawn out for those concerned.
I really do hope this does not indicate a problem with the airbus in general, too early to say either way. Sad day indeed.
talk about sensationalising things and some of his responses to reasonable questions can only be described as outright scare-mongering.Sadly it looks as though the outcome will not be good, I guess now all we can hope for is that everyone may be returned to their families quickly so that this process is not too drawn out for those concerned.
I really do hope this does not indicate a problem with the airbus in general, too early to say either way. Sad day indeed.
From FlightInternational:
"Civil air traffic control authorities in Brazil, Africa, Spain and France have all failed in their attempts to contact the Air France Airbus A330-200 which vanished en route from Rio de Janeiro to Paris overnight.
French military air traffic control, says Air France chief executive Pierre-Henri Gourgeon, has also tried to reach the aircraft but "without success".
Flight AF447 departed Rio de Janeiro at 19:03 yesterday. Air France confirms that it experienced "strong turbulence" while flying through a thunderstorm at about 02:00UTC.
The aircraft then generated an automated message about a quarter of an hour later, at 02:14UTC, which Air France says was "indicating a failure of the electrical system" while the flight was in a remote coastal region.
Air France has confirmed the aircraft as airframe 660, registration F-GZCP, which had accumulated 18,870hr in flight. The twin-jet, powered by General Electric CF6-80E engines, was put into service in April 2005.
The carrier says the captain had logged 11,000hr including 1,700hr on A330 and A340 aircraft.
One of the two co-pilots had a total of 3,000hr, the other 6,600hr, with 800hr and 2,600hr on A330/340s respectively.
Air France adds that the aircraft last checked in for maintenance on 16 April.
It has confirmed that 216 passengers, including eight children, plus a crew of 12 were on board the flight."
"Civil air traffic control authorities in Brazil, Africa, Spain and France have all failed in their attempts to contact the Air France Airbus A330-200 which vanished en route from Rio de Janeiro to Paris overnight.
French military air traffic control, says Air France chief executive Pierre-Henri Gourgeon, has also tried to reach the aircraft but "without success".
Flight AF447 departed Rio de Janeiro at 19:03 yesterday. Air France confirms that it experienced "strong turbulence" while flying through a thunderstorm at about 02:00UTC.
The aircraft then generated an automated message about a quarter of an hour later, at 02:14UTC, which Air France says was "indicating a failure of the electrical system" while the flight was in a remote coastal region.
Air France has confirmed the aircraft as airframe 660, registration F-GZCP, which had accumulated 18,870hr in flight. The twin-jet, powered by General Electric CF6-80E engines, was put into service in April 2005.
The carrier says the captain had logged 11,000hr including 1,700hr on A330 and A340 aircraft.
One of the two co-pilots had a total of 3,000hr, the other 6,600hr, with 800hr and 2,600hr on A330/340s respectively.
Air France adds that the aircraft last checked in for maintenance on 16 April.
It has confirmed that 216 passengers, including eight children, plus a crew of 12 were on board the flight."
Last edited by 1746; 1st Jun 2009 at 14:36. Reason: to add " "
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of course looking at the big picture, this does nothing to increase the traveling public's confidence, in view of the financial crisis, swine flu, refusal of insurance coverage for any swine flu related expenses, direct or indirect.
The media even says of the aircraft, believed to have ditched into the ocean with virtually no hope for survivors was
"The same type of aircraft is used by Qantas..."
The media even says of the aircraft, believed to have ditched into the ocean with virtually no hope for survivors was
"The same type of aircraft is used by Qantas..."
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"The same type of aircraft is used by Qantas..."
I guess the FTDK better give up his machine, look what it did to Buddy Holly and co....
Nunc est bibendum
I'm surprised no one has yet drawn the link between the aircraft type and what happened near Learmonth last year to a couple of other A330s.
It'll only be a matter of time before the media picks up on it.
It'll only be a matter of time before the media picks up on it.
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I'm surprised no one has yet drawn the link between the aircraft type and what happened near Learmonth last year to a couple of other A330s.
It'll only be a matter of time before the media picks up on it.
It'll only be a matter of time before the media picks up on it.
AT least 228 people are believed dead after a catastrophic failure on board an Air France plane over the Atlantic Ocean.
Anxious families gathering at airports in Paris and Brazil have been told any hope of survival is slim.
The Airbus A330 overnight service from Rio de Janeiro to Paris suffered multiple technical failures before crashing into the Atlantic, the airline's chief executive said today.
"A succession of a dozen technical messages" sent by the aircraft around 2.15am GMT (10:15pm AEST) showed that "several electrical systems had broken down" which caused a "totally unprecedented situation in the plane," said Pierre-Henry Gourgeon said.
"It is probable that it was shortly after these messages that the impact in the Atlantic came."
Mr Gourgeon said that military planes had narrowed down their search area to a zone of a few dozen nautical miles half-way between Brazil and west Africa. Three Brazilian navy ships are on their way to assist in the search.
Will Sunderlanders of Melb Burn Relatives of those on board the flight raced to Rio de Janeiro's airport, numb with shock and disbelief at the certain tragedy that had befallen their loved ones.
Bernado, one of the first to arrive at the city's airport, had despair edging into his voice as he explained his brother and sister-in-law where on the missing Airbus.
"I called Air France right away, and they told me they didn't have information. That's why I decided to come to the airport," he said, declining to give his last name.
Vasti Ester van Sluijs, said she had jumped into a taxi as soon as she heard her daughter's flight - had disappeared from the radar over the Atlantic Ocean.
"My daughter Adriana Francesca was on the plane," she said, shocked.
Her daughter had been on her way to Paris for a connecting flight to Seoul, for business, she said.
In Paris distraught relatives were ushered into a cordoned-off area of the main terminal at Rio at Charles de Gaulle airport, expecting the worse after officials said flight AF447 appeared to have had an electrical failure.
Uniformed teams from Air France and the airport manning the desk refused to say how they had broken news to the relatives.
At a refreshment stand in the arrivals hall, waitresses said they had served a couple in tears.
Shortly afterwards, two young women, their eyes swollen with weeping, brushed away questions by reporters, one of them saying: "Now is not the time."
France's minister in charge of transport, Jean-Louis Borloo, said there was a "real pessimism at this hour'' about the fate of the aircraft.
"We can fear the worst," he said on Europe-1 radio.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy expressed his "extreme worry'' and went to Charles de Gaulle to meet relatives awaiting news of their loved ones.
"We have no exact idea what happened. It's a catastrophe the likes of which Air France has never seen," he said.
"We have come to meet the families who are extremely dignified and courageous. Everyone can well imagine what a mother who lost her daughter, a fiancee who lost her future husband, are thinking.
"I told them the truth, which is that the prospects of finding any survivors are very slim."
Airbus said the A330 has a good safety record, with no fatalities ever on a commercial flight. One did crash in 1994 during a test flight in southern France, however, killing seven people on board.
In October last year a computer glitch caused a Qantas A330 to climb before nose diving over Western Australia injuring dozens of passengers.
In November 2007 six people were injured in a "depressurisation incident" during the test flight of an Airbus A330 to be delivered to Air Mauritius.
Anxious families gathering at airports in Paris and Brazil have been told any hope of survival is slim.
The Airbus A330 overnight service from Rio de Janeiro to Paris suffered multiple technical failures before crashing into the Atlantic, the airline's chief executive said today.
"A succession of a dozen technical messages" sent by the aircraft around 2.15am GMT (10:15pm AEST) showed that "several electrical systems had broken down" which caused a "totally unprecedented situation in the plane," said Pierre-Henry Gourgeon said.
"It is probable that it was shortly after these messages that the impact in the Atlantic came."
Mr Gourgeon said that military planes had narrowed down their search area to a zone of a few dozen nautical miles half-way between Brazil and west Africa. Three Brazilian navy ships are on their way to assist in the search.
Will Sunderlanders of Melb Burn Relatives of those on board the flight raced to Rio de Janeiro's airport, numb with shock and disbelief at the certain tragedy that had befallen their loved ones.
Bernado, one of the first to arrive at the city's airport, had despair edging into his voice as he explained his brother and sister-in-law where on the missing Airbus.
"I called Air France right away, and they told me they didn't have information. That's why I decided to come to the airport," he said, declining to give his last name.
Vasti Ester van Sluijs, said she had jumped into a taxi as soon as she heard her daughter's flight - had disappeared from the radar over the Atlantic Ocean.
"My daughter Adriana Francesca was on the plane," she said, shocked.
Her daughter had been on her way to Paris for a connecting flight to Seoul, for business, she said.
In Paris distraught relatives were ushered into a cordoned-off area of the main terminal at Rio at Charles de Gaulle airport, expecting the worse after officials said flight AF447 appeared to have had an electrical failure.
Uniformed teams from Air France and the airport manning the desk refused to say how they had broken news to the relatives.
At a refreshment stand in the arrivals hall, waitresses said they had served a couple in tears.
Shortly afterwards, two young women, their eyes swollen with weeping, brushed away questions by reporters, one of them saying: "Now is not the time."
France's minister in charge of transport, Jean-Louis Borloo, said there was a "real pessimism at this hour'' about the fate of the aircraft.
"We can fear the worst," he said on Europe-1 radio.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy expressed his "extreme worry'' and went to Charles de Gaulle to meet relatives awaiting news of their loved ones.
"We have no exact idea what happened. It's a catastrophe the likes of which Air France has never seen," he said.
"We have come to meet the families who are extremely dignified and courageous. Everyone can well imagine what a mother who lost her daughter, a fiancee who lost her future husband, are thinking.
"I told them the truth, which is that the prospects of finding any survivors are very slim."
Airbus said the A330 has a good safety record, with no fatalities ever on a commercial flight. One did crash in 1994 during a test flight in southern France, however, killing seven people on board.
In October last year a computer glitch caused a Qantas A330 to climb before nose diving over Western Australia injuring dozens of passengers.
In November 2007 six people were injured in a "depressurisation incident" during the test flight of an Airbus A330 to be delivered to Air Mauritius.
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A/D issued by CASA for 330 ???
Can anyone involved with the Airbus 330 confirm that CASA issued an A/D, or at least some sort of notification, of a possible problem with with bonding of strucures around a tank vent valve, which included warnings about flight near lightning. This was being aired on radio in MEL this morning as a possible cause of the (probable ) hull loss.
emudodo
An aviation professional will know how to find this information whereas the peddlers of news (sic) wouldn't.
This was being aired on radio in MEL this morning as a possible cause of the (probable ) hull loss
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There is a cloud cover update picture of the area and a rather cautious but it seemed to me reasonable report here. The Geoff Thomas stuff on TV this morning was nutty.
The Air France mid Atlantic mystery will be hard to unravel - Plane Talking
The Air France mid Atlantic mystery will be hard to unravel - Plane Talking
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I just love how when asked if loss of contact was a regular occurence, GT implied that if that happens then everyone on board is doome... what a crock of Just because you have faulty comms doesn't mean the a/c is no longer airworthy! Sure, it presents problems, but of itself would not equal what has happened to AF.
Can someone please ask Sunrise & Sky to use clips of Greg Feith instead? At least he actually knows something about accident investigation...
Just because you have faulty comms doesn't mean the a/c is no longer airworthy! Sure, it presents problems, but of itself would not equal what has happened to AF.Can someone please ask Sunrise & Sky to use clips of Greg Feith instead? At least he actually knows something about accident investigation...
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More here, particularly with respect to the receipt of ACARS messages:
Crash: Air France A332 over Atlantic on June 1st 2009, aircraft impacted ocean
Crash: Air France A332 over Atlantic on June 1st 2009, aircraft impacted ocean
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Yeah lets get Greg Feith out of retirement.
We need someone on TV with no dress sense - appalling shirts and and revolting ties...... what a legacy.
...but yes you are correct, at least he knows abit about aviation, whereas some of our other reporters are quite happy to display NFI.
We need someone on TV with no dress sense - appalling shirts and and revolting ties...... what a legacy.
...but yes you are correct, at least he knows abit about aviation, whereas some of our other reporters are quite happy to display NFI.
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Blueloo, my comment about GF was prompted by someone on the R&N thread saying he appeared on a news program regardinf AF447 (sorry not sure which)
Wasn't aware he retired, yeah can recall a few people making comments about the braces & tie look... but hey, no doubt that he knew his stuff, in fact I'd say he knows more than 'a bit'
Wasn't aware he retired, yeah can recall a few people making comments about the braces & tie look... but hey, no doubt that he knew his stuff, in fact I'd say he knows more than 'a bit'