F-GZCP, the Airbus A330 involved in Air France flight 447, taken in March 2007. Photo by Pawel Kierzkowski / Wikipedia.
I have read quite a bit about Air France flight 447 that crashed on June 1, 2009. I think a recent story from Popular Mechanics is the best and really paints a picture about what really happened in the cockpit of that Airbus A330 the day of the accident.
The story shows what was said on the voice recorder and explains what it all means, very interesting and worth the time to read it.
Thanks to Drew for pointing this out.
Photo of the downed aircraft taken October 2007 A330-203 AIR FRANCE F-GZCP
Flight 447, carrying 216 passengers and 12 crew members was scheduled to arrive at Charles-de-Gaulle (Paris) early Monday morning. The Airbus A330-200 disappeared from Brazillian radar about 3 hours after take-off. Brazillian Air Force has been searching near the coast of West Africa.
Before losing contact with Air France, Flight 447 sent an automatic message indicating an electrical problem. An Air France spokesperson suggested it was possible that the plane was hit by lightning, though aviation experts are skeptical that the Airbus wouldn’t have been able to withstand lightning.
It will be a long, sad search for the black box, and until then, the true cause of this unfortunate occurrence will remain unknown.
Sources: NPR, BBC Image: phinalanji
