French Nuclear Submarine Reaches Air France Crash Site to Investigate Cause of Disaster

Strategic Insights -

A French nuclear submarine, Emeraude, reached the crash site of Air France Flight 447 on Wednesday, tasked with combing the Atlantic depths for black boxes that could help determine what caused the Airbus 330 to crash into the sea off Brazil, killing 228 people. The submarine will be able to search patches of about 35 square kilometers a day, trying to locate the boxes' acoustic beacons or "pingers," which are expected to fade 30 days after the May 31 crash. Brazilian searchers have recovered 41 bodies from the scene, which are expected to be flown to Recife for identification and investigation.

Key Takeaways:

  • The French nuclear submarine Emeraude will spend up to 30 days searching for the black boxes, with a search area of about 35 square kilometers per day.
  • The crash of Air France Flight 447 is thought to be linked to the malfunctioning of the Pitot tubes, which are crucial for measuring airspeed and angle of flight.
  • Brazilian searchers have recovered 41 bodies from the crash site, which will be taken to Recife for identification and investigation.
  • The European Aviation Safety Agency is analyzing data on the incident and will issue mandatory corrective action to address the possible malfunctioning of Pitot tubes.
  • Air France has begun replacing Pitot tubes on its A330 and A340 jets, and all Air France A330s and A340s will have all three Pitots replaced by July.
  • The incident has prompted airlines to replace Pitot tubes on their Airbus planes, with about 70 airlines operating around 600 A330s similar to the doomed Air France jet.
  • Thales Group and Goodrich Corp, two companies that manufacture Pitot monitors, have been affected by the incident, with the possibility of mandatory corrective action.
  • Airlines are being cautious and replacing Pistot tubes as a precautionary measure, with pilots reporting incidents of icing leading to a loss of airspeed data.

Statistics:

  • 228 people were on board Air France Flight 447 when it crashed into the sea off Brazil.
  • 41 bodies have been recovered from the crash site.
  • The search for the black boxes is expected to take up to 30 days.
  • The search area for the black boxes is about 35 square kilometers per day.
  • About 600 A330 planes similar to the doomed Air France jet are operated by approximately 70 airlines.
  • Thales Group and Goodrich Corp are the two companies that manufacture Pitot monitors for Airbus planes.

Sources:

  • The Daily Star: A French nuclear submarine reached the crash zone of Air France Flight 447 on Wednesday to comb the Atlantic depths for black boxes that should help determine what brought the Airbus down in the sea off Brazil with 228 people on board.
  • Associated Press: A French nuclear submarine reached the crash zone of Air France Flight 447 on Wednesday to comb the Atlantic depths for black boxes that should help determine what brought the Airbus down in the sea off Brazil with 228 people on board.
  • European Aviation Safety Agency: The European Aviation Safety Agency, responsible for certification of Airbus planes, said Tuesday that it was "analyzing data with a view to issuing mandatory corrective action" following reports about the possible malfunctioning of the Pitot tubes.
  • Air France: Air France said it began replacing the Pitot tubes on its A330 and A340 jets in May after pilots reported several incidents of icing leading to a loss of airspeed data.
  • Brazil's Air Force: Brazil's air force said it is replacing Pitot tubes for the President's jet.
  • Thales Group and Goodrich Corp: Two companies that manufacture Pitot monitors for Airbus planes.