Air France 447

Air France Flight 447 was a scheduled airline flight from Rio de Janeiro to Paris that crashed into the Atlantic Ocean on 1 June 2009, killing all 216 passengers and 12aircrew.^[3] The investigation is still ongoing, and the cause of the crash has not yet been determined, but a briefing released by the BEA on 27 May 2011 revealed that the aircraft crashed following an aerodynamic stall. It further revealed that for about a minute prior to the crash there were inconsistent readings in the pitot tubes (speed sensors). The cause of the faulty readings is yet to be determined, but a theory is that ice formed on the pitot tubes, which would have caused them to freeze, giving inconsistent measurements owing to their reliance on air pressure measurements to give speed readings.^[4][5] Pitot tube blockage is suspected of having contributed to airliner crashes in the past — such as Birgenair Flight 301 in 1996.


Two years on, families of crash victims mark tragedy
Families of the victims of Air France Flight 447 from Rio to Paris that plunged into the Atlantic killing all 228 people on board are marking the second anniversary of one of the most mysterious crashes in recent aviation history.

Air France 447: What the Black Box Tells Us
Here's how to think about the release today of a report based on "black box" data from the Air France crash into the Atlantic Ocean two years ago. Or at least how to start thinking about it. I wrote a number ofprevious items about the crash soon after it occurred. 


Air France Flight 447 Said to Have Stalled After an Airspeed Sensor Failed
Air France Flight 447’s flight recordings show the aircraft slowed to a stall after its airspeed sensors failed while the two co-pilots were at the controls, two people with knowledge of the investigation said.

WSJ: Air France 447 Pilots Missed Key Information

Sources speaking ahead of an official release of information expected Friday suggest that content collected from the cockpit voice and data recorders of Air France Flight 447 is building a case for pilot error. The investigation has so far implicated pitot tubes, which may have fallen victim to icing at 35,000 feet. But The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that "people familiar with preliminary findings" say that while the pitots did cause sensor malfunctions, cockpit displays functioned normally. Problems with the Airbus A330's pitot tubes led to a series of automation failures, disconnects, warnings and alarms for Flight 447. The sources say that while the crew was working the series of problems, they appear to have missed other essential information.

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