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June 01, 2009

BREAKING: Air France Flight "Drops Off Radar"

This is not good

(CNN) -- A French passenger aircraft carrying 228 people has disappeared from radar off the coast of Brazil, airline officials say.

Air France told CNN the jet was traveling from Rio de Janeiro to Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris when it vanished.

Update: Early reports

Initial indications were that the plane, an Airbus A330, encountered severe turbulence off the coast of Brazil, people who were briefed on the situation said Monday. They said they did not know whether this contributed to the plane’s disappearance.

and


Air France said in a statement the plane sent an automatic message reporting an electrical short-circuit at 0214 GMT, roughly 15 minutes after flying into the turbulence.


Posted by Mr. Bingley at June 1, 2009 06:19 AM

Comments

Just saw that. Jeez, louise, how awful!

Posted by: tree hugging sister at June 1, 2009 06:35 AM

Now reporting automated electrical problems on board while flying through an area of turbulence and thunderstorms. Airbus aircraft use a computer-dependent fly-by-wire flight control system. Remember the Air France A340 landing in a thunderstorm in Toronto a few years ago? It took a lightning strike and ran off the runway and crashed and burned. I hope they managed to ditch and evacuate, but I am not at all optimistic.

Posted by: Ray at June 1, 2009 08:20 AM

No, I'm not either, Ray.

But I also wasn't very optimistic when I heard that a plane had ditched in the Hudson this Winter...

Posted by: Mr. Bingley at June 1, 2009 08:27 AM

Big difference between a non-powered narrowbody (A320) and a possibly non-powered widebody (A330), and a big difference between ditching in an enclosed body of water with a relatively calm service and ditching in possibly storm-tossed waves in an open body of water. And the pilot makes a huge difference as well - the US Airways A320 pilot is an experienced glider pilot.

Posted by: Ray at June 1, 2009 08:31 AM

Sure, and I would imagine it's a bit tougher to ditch a wide body in the ocean at 10 pm, as well.

Posted by: Mr. Bingley at June 1, 2009 08:49 AM