The Outsider Posted June 1, 2009 Posted June 1, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/02/world/europe/02plane.html?em PARIS — Air France said Monday that it had lost radar contact with an Airbus A330 passenger plane travelling from Rio de Janeiro to Paris. Officials said that search efforts were underway around a small island off the Brazilian coast. “We have received no news from Flight AF 447,†said an Air France spokeswoman in Paris, Brigitte Barrand. The plane was carrying 216 passengers — 126 men, 82 women, seven children and one infant, the airline said. There were 12 staff aboard — nine cabin crew members and three pilots, Air France said. One hour after the flight took off at 7 p.m. local time on Sunday, the plane encountered “very heavy turbulence,†the Air France spokeswoman said. The plane disappeared from radar screens at 8:10 a.m. local time, 10 minutes after the heavy turbulence was reported. However, she said it was not known at this time if the turbulence contributed to the disappearance. Ms. Barrand said that the pilot was very experienced, having clocked up 11,000 flying hours including 1,100 hours on A330 jets. All jets are built to withstand severe turbulence, especially at upper flying levels. A Brazilian Air Force spokesman, quoted by The Associated Press, said that the plane disappeared over the Atlantic Ocean a near the Brazilian island of Fernando de Noronha, about 186 miles northeast of the coastal Brazilian city of Natal. The plane was scheduled to arrive in Paris at 11:10 a.m. local time. It was operated by Air France and apparently did not share a flight code with Delta Air Lines, the American carrier that shares flights and routes with Air France. “We are very worried,†said an aviation official in Paris interviewed by Agence France-Presse. “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.†Ms. Barrand could give no further details on when air traffic controllers had last been in contact with the cockpit during the flight. The French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, expressed his grave concern about the missing airliner and sent his transport and environment ministers to monitor the situation at the airport. The airline said that people in France seeking information about the flight can telephone 0800 800 812. For those calling from abroad, the number is 33 1 57 02 10 55. Micheline Maynard contributed reporting from New York. :nervous:
Guest Gunner Posted June 1, 2009 Posted June 1, 2009 I hope the people on board are safe. My prayers are with them.
Ram Posted June 1, 2009 Posted June 1, 2009 In today’s world of satellite imaging and telecommunication, its incredible to think the whereabouts a metal mammoth weighing 100s of tones fitted with some of the latest communication equipment is unknown. This is a terrible time for the families though. They should know what has happened to their loved ones, one way or the other.
The Outsider Posted June 1, 2009 Author Posted June 1, 2009 Indications are that it got hit by lightening, but I guess it's all speculation at the moment since they have not located the aircraft yet.
zubinpepsi Posted June 1, 2009 Posted June 1, 2009 i tot the flights are always in some radar n they r monitored.. isit not the case?
kumble_rocks Posted June 1, 2009 Posted June 1, 2009 i tot the flights are always in some radar n they r monitored.. isit not the case? Looks like radar got knocked out by lightning.
zubinpepsi Posted June 1, 2009 Posted June 1, 2009 Looks like radar got knocked out by lightning. i mean if they r monitored continuously.. then wont they know where exactly it got off the radar?? well this is jus frm a noobs perspective..
Guest Hiten. Posted June 1, 2009 Posted June 1, 2009 damn' date=' Desmond again forgot to put in the numbers 4-8-15-16-23-42...[/quote'] You might be right, brother :P. @: I hope all the passengers are safe
veer Posted June 1, 2009 Posted June 1, 2009 this is scary stuff.. as I frequently fly Air France and KLM through that route.. i pray that they are ok..
kumble_rocks Posted June 1, 2009 Posted June 1, 2009 i mean if they r monitored continuously.. then wont they know where exactly it got off the radar?? well this is jus frm a noobs perspective.. Difficult to predict the trajectory after the lost contact. Even if they can pinpoint the exact time and location on the air ,I would assume that it would be still a challenge to search for the plane.
kumble_rocks Posted June 1, 2009 Posted June 1, 2009 Anybody interested in history of air crash episodes , please check out this site . http://www.geocities.com/apapele/
Ram Posted June 1, 2009 Posted June 1, 2009 Radar isn’t the only thing that helps tracks airplanes. Am pretty all commercial airliners have GPS devices fitted on them and can be tracked using satellites. And these satellites have coverage all over the world. My guess, the plane suffered a sudden engine failure or there could have been a mid-air collision with a foreign object and simply plummeted into the sea. At some point in the next 24 hours, they should be able to locate the debris in the ocean.
mhr123 Posted June 1, 2009 Posted June 1, 2009 They Said : A330-200: Ultra-modern and extremely safe :(( :((
coffee_rules Posted June 1, 2009 Posted June 1, 2009 RIP. It's hard not to think about it when somebody you know is travelling shortly. My sister is flying today. But this is one flight in 1000s of them. So, the odds are very remote. But still it is scary.
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