Air France 447 crash.....possibly found after 2 years

[Praying4OCS]

http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/europe/04/04/france.jet.wreckage/index.html?hpt=T1

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/05/world/europe/05brazil.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/europe/04/04/france.jet.wreckage/index.html?hpt=T1

If the main wreckage is found, I hope the black boxes can be recovered. Would they still be ok after 2 years?

 

[wink]

If not damaged in the original crash, supposed to be. That is why they kept looking for it. They expect to find data they can use to solve the mystery. Let's all hope.

 

[jtmedli]

"At a spot no farther than six miles north of the last known location of Air France Flight 447..."

6 Miles North of it's last known location and it took 2 years to find the wreckage? Seems like the original search would've covered that relatively small area pretty well.

 

[xj220]

When it's that deep and that rough of terrain (they equated it to the Alps), I'm not surprised. It's not like you have great visibility and can walk around with ease to see the wreckage. I really hope they can bring this case to a close, very mysterious what happened.

 

[RHPF]

I read that they focused the search too far away, covering a huge part of the ocean... just not the right part. Also, the article I read said that it was where an oil slick was spotted from satellite immediately after the crash.

 

[Praying4OCS]

The latest....landing gear, engines, wings and fuselage all found

[video]http://cnn.com/video/?/video/world/2011/04/04/durgahee.air.france.wreck.cnn[/video]

 

[feddoc]

I gotta wonder what the relatives of the victims have to say. The dad of one, via CNN, said let them lie where they are.

 

[wink]

Well, the victims should lie where they are to the extent they can. Retrieving the box or other parts that can determine the cause of the mishap will help prevent other victims and their families suffering the same fate. I am sure that father would not like to see others go through what he experienced.

 

[Praying4OCS]

In early May search teams found the crucial "data recorders" from the wreck site, estimated to lie at a depth of between 2,000 to 4,000 meters (6,562 to 13,124 feet).

The aircraft experienced some "rolling" before stalling and then descending rapidly into the ocean. The descent lasted 3 minutes and 30 seconds and the engines remained operational, said the report. It plunged at 10,912 feet (3,300 meters) per minute.

Thats scary shit.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/americas/05/27/air.france.447.crash/index.html?hpt=T1

 

[scoolbubba]

There's still a ton of questions to be answered here. The take away thus far is even something benign as loss of airspeed can become a big deal when redundant systems fail, with a dash of bad weather, to boot.

The engines never flamed out, the wings were still capable of making lifties; maybe i'm being obtuse, but what they are saying caused this accident doesn't seem like it adds up. The pitot's may have been screwed, but VSI's and Altimeters were still working. The pilots knew they were at 10000 feet and descending, from the CVR. Where in all of this does the airbus's HAL 3000 come in? Early reports were that the pilots tried to turn it off and reboot it before water impact, but I haven't heard anything about that lately. Airbus's PR machine is in overdrive, now that the black boxes are being examined.

I'd bet 3 very experienced aviators had the wherewithal to keep the blue side up, fly known combinations of power and attitude, and ride it out to somewhere VMC. The computer...not so much.

 

[wink]

I am not an airbus guy. But Airbus or not, if the pitot static system was compromised by contamination like rain water or ice, the computers would be getting erroneous data and the standby instruments would not work correctly either. That would mean all you would have is a standby attitude indicator and power settings (again, not an airbus guy so not even sure about that). Without a reliable altimeter or vsi, even standbys, how would you know to fly pitch and power? These types of scenarios are what make me happy I fly the 'ol MD-80.

 

[scoolbubba]

It sounds like the static stuff was fine; the pilots knew they were passing thru 10000 feet on the way down. I assume their primary attitude indicators were still working fine, but that's just swag.

I don't know, it just seems like a really experienced crew to get beaten by something as JV as a pitot failure. No airspeed/ stall warnings going off and they continue to pull back? eh...

 

[mmx1]

http://www.popularmechanics.com/tec...really-happened-aboard-air-france-447-6611877 Popular Mechanics account of the last minutes of the flight.

 

[squorch2]

CRM. It keeps you alive.

 

[Sapper!]

It sounds like the static stuff was fine; the pilots knew they were passing thru 10000 feet on the way down. I assume their primary attitude indicators were still working fine, but that's just swag.

I don't know, it just seems like a really experienced crew to get beaten by something as JV as a pitot failure. No airspeed/ stall warnings going off and they continue to pull back? eh...

when i was reading around the end of the summer, what I understood was that alternate law had taken affect. The computer assumed the attitude vs airspeed was invalid and turned off the horn. The pilots attempted to put nose down inputs and the stall horn would come BACK on. I can see how that is really conflicting. In the end it stinks though because experience is supposed to trump and you think someone would say, "I'm not going to believe that because I know that if I point this nose down it works and I get airspeed. Screw that clicking thing...." But that is easy for me to sharpshoot from the armchair.

Edit: just read that PM article, yep guy just held the stick back. not much to do with alternate law, oh well.