Air France crash update

Preliminary findings from the recorders of the AF447 Airbus A330 which crashed into the Atlantic Ocean in 2009 have found that the pilots became distracted with malfunctioning airspeed indicators and failed to properly manage other critical systems. 

Operating as a three-man crew the Captain was in a rest period when the aircraft experienced both turbulence and icing problems.  Dropping at 10,000ft per minute the cockpit voice recorders show that the pilots apparently became confused by the alarms blaring from their instruments and despite trying to systematically respond to each warning, were unable to cope.  The descent lasted 3mins 30secs during which time the engines acted normally.

A full report is expected in several months.  What appears not to be highlighted at this time is the work of the search teams in locating and rescuing the 'black box' recorders at a depth of well over 10,000ft, a truly magnificent effort which will help air safety for the future. www.airbus.com www.airfrance.com

Index/Home page
 

OUR READERS' FINEST WORDS (All times and dates are GMT)

All comments are filtered to exclude any excesses but the Editor does not have to agree with what is being said. 100 words maximum