Air France Flight Missing

[ImbracableCrunk]

http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSTRE5501PB20090601

PARIS (Reuters) - An Air France plane on its way from Brazil to Paris has gone missing with 228 people on board, the airline said on Monday.
Its last known location was unclear. Brazilian television said the Brazilian air force had started a search mission over the Atlantic Ocean for the plane.
Flight AF 447 has 216 passengers and 12 crew on board. It left Rio de Janeiro on Sunday at 7 p.m. local time and was expected in Paris on Monday at 11:15 a.m. (5:15 a.m. EDT).
"Air France regrets to announce that it is without news from flight AF 447, which was flying on the Rio de Janeiro - Paris Charles de Gaulle route and was scheduled to arrive at 11.15 a.m. today (5:15 a.m. EDT)," an Air France spokesman said.
An Air France-KLM spokeswoman in Amsterdam said there had been no radio contact with the missing plane "for a while."
The plane was an Airbus 330-200, according to the Paris airports authority website.
Air France said relatives of people traveling on board flight AF 447 were being taken care of in a special area of Charles de Gaulle airport.
(Reporting by Jean-Baptiste Vey, Gerard Bon, Astrid Wendlandt and Tim Hepher; writing by Estelle Shirbon; editing by Crispian Balmer and Angus MacSwan)

 

[Prog 2/2]

BBC report here--


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/8076848.stm

 

[jester757]

Not good...

 

[Prog 2/2]

FWIW

Several sources now reporting that that an "electrical problem was reported by onboard systems while in an area of heavy turbulence".

After a glance at the satellite picture, the south Atlantic ITCZ looks like it's in full bloom.

 

[JFReservist]

Just did a crossing two days ago from Spain... I kept thinking how much water there was down there, with very little options. God Bless them.

 

[JFReservist]

http://aviationweather.gov/data/obs/sat/intl/ir_ICAO-B1_bw.jpg

 

[Prog 2/2]

Again, FWIW.

The missing aircraft, F-GZCB, had an electrical problem that kept it grounded for a couple of days back in March.

http://www.bangaloreaviation.com/2009/03/air-france-airbus-a330-grounded-at.html

 

[chqflyer]

I wonder if the pilots graduated from L'Academie Intenationale Du Gulfstream.

Classy reply there kid. Did you come up with that yourself?

 

[Dornier 335]

I wonder if the pilots graduated from L'Academie Intenationale Du Gulfstream.

Hey Keyboard Cowboy, mind explaining yourself?

Urban Legend/Rural Myth simply showing that some people have no class...

 

[Aerosurfer]

I wonder if the pilots graduated from L'Academie Intenationale Du Gulfstream.

lol... Awsome!

 

[jpeace02]

going to show my ignorance here. can anyone dispell the idea, that a former NTSB offical cited, that if the airbus lost all power they may not have been able to control the aircraft as a result of fly-by-wire technology?

odviously this would be very damning for fly-by-wire technology in general IF it is the case.

 

[rf285]

He's just a bitter rj butt warmer. These pilots are highly trained. It's Air France for Pete's Sake!

Hope they end up somewhere on land with no cell phone coverage safe and sound. Not looking too good.

 

[OurMoney1]

I wonder if the pilots graduated from L'Academie Intenationale Du Gulfstream.

You are nothing more than a Piece of TIHS!

 

[i fly boxes]

going to show my ignorance here. can anyone dispell the idea, that a former NTSB offical cited, that if the airbus lost all power they may not have been able to control the aircraft as a result of fly-by-wire technology?

odviously this would be very damning for fly-by-wire technology in general IF it is the case.

I have always had this fear of fly by wire tech. It was the first thing i thought of when i heard lightning

 

[StaySeated]

Obviously an aircraft would never be allowed to carry passengers without some form of redundancy. In the case of a complete electrical failure, the aircraft as a Ram Air Turbine that drives essential electrical and hydraulic systems. If that back up system fails, the Trimmable Horizontal Stab and the Rudder can be controlled manually (cables).

 

[Dornier 335]

I cannot imagine that Airbus has no electrical backup. What about the RAT (Ram Air Turbine)? Besides, I think severe turbulence is worse than lightning strikes. Let's hope for the best.

 

[Princedietrich]

MSN news is now saying that officials are confirming a catastrophic crash.

But then again, we all know how the news outlets like to jump the gun so take it for what it's worth.

Always feels like a punch to the gut when you read about things like this.

 

[jpeace02]

hey are we going to any games this season or not? get off the computer and get to work.

 

[crj567]

He's just a bitter rj butt warmer. These pilots are highly trained. It's Air France for Pete's Sake!

Hope they end up somewhere on land with no cell phone coverage safe and sound. Not looking too good.

Yep-

This is all the fault of RJs.... You know-one of tjose crappy "RJs" built but Airbus (which can carry 300 pax) and the substandard pilots-probably from Gulfstream...

 

[wmuflyguy]

If that back up system fails, the Trimmable Horizontal Stab and the Rudder can be controlled manually (cables).

I can't even imagine an aircraft such as that losing every electrical option, and with only those control surfaces, controlling the aircraft would be a really tall order over the Atlantic at night, with turbulence, and T-storms...with no attitude instruments (I assume the backup is also electric). It would be hard/impossible just to determine which direction is up in those conditions.