AF Research 447: more than 3 minutes to fall

According to the preliminary analysis of the black boxes measuring the speed of the apparatus was wrong. Chronology of the flight before the fatal accident. The chronological account established with the technical parameters and voice recordings from the black boxes in the cockpit is creepy.

Flight AF 447 from Air France that was to cover the regular route Rio de Janeiro Paris Charles de Gaulle-off of airport carioca at 22h29 pm on May 31, 2009. On board were 228 people, 216 passengers and 12 crew members. Everything happens normally during the first hours of the flight. According to preliminary data from black boxes, the commander and the two co-pilots report the checkpoint on the Atlantic air from the position of the aircraft. At 01h55 am on June 1, the flight commander wakes the second passenger to take his place in the cabin. The commander attended to the exchange of information between the co-pilot during which warns of the zone of turbulence that are going through. The commander comes out after the cabin for rest routine.

Turbulent zone:

At 2h06 am, a co-pilot made a call for cabin crew to warn them that in two minutes they are entering a zone of turbulence “Will move a little more now, do not put your trust “Says the speaker. “I’ll call you when we’re out”. At 2h08 am, the plane tries to avoid veering slightly to the left, about 12 degrees. The turbulence began to be increasingly strong so the co-pilot decided to slow the aircraft.

Problems begin:

At 2h10 am, the autopilot is disconnected and a co-pilot takes the controls. Reading the black box data points to a “incoherence” in the data sent by different measuring instruments. The plane began to lurch. The commander returned to the cabin to 02h11mn, 1 minute and half after the autopilot was disconnected. Then begins a fall of more than 3 minutes to the sea. At 02h12mn, a co-pilot says “I have no indication”. The commander confirmed “We have no valid indication”.

According to experts, the engines operated at all times and respond to the orders of the pilots. The black box recordings stand to 02h14mn28 am on June 1, 2009. Time when the plane hits the Atlantic Ocean 400 km from Recife.

In its latest report, before knowing the data from black boxes, the Office of Research and Analysis (BEA)Had pointed to an error in the probes of the velocity as a possible cause of the accident. Those sensors, manufactured by the French group Thales, had led to incidents in other flights because of ice, which prevented them from measuring the speed correctly.


The first official report on the causes of the accident in July

These first preliminary findings have been published by the French organization responsible for the investigation to end all the speculation that had been exhibiting in the press since May 14 when they recovered the black boxes. They had slept nearly two years at the bottom of Atlantic Ocean was not known until a few days whether they could provide the recorded data. The families of the victims will have to wait a little longer to know the official results of the accident investigation. “But only after a thorough investigation we will determine the cause of the fire and, above all, make safety recommendations, which is the main mission of the BEA” Concludes the note of the French experts.