Air France AF447 Flight Data Recorder Recovered

The ongoing search for wreckage of Air France flight 447, an A330-200 (F-GZCP) that crashed in the Atlantic Ocean in the early hours of 1 June 2009, has successfully located the flight data recorder (FDR), one of the two "black boxes" that may contain data that may reveal why the flight crashed almost two years ago. The search continues for the cockpit voice recorder (CVR).

The French Bureau d'Enquetes et Analyses (BEA), which is leading the accident investigation, announced earlier today that the FDR was retrieved by a remotely operated vehicle an brought up from the ocean floor (from about 4,000 meters, or 13,000 feet deep) and is now on board the ship Ile de Seinon. Earlier this month,(the search effort spotted several major portions of the aircraft as well as the remains of a number of passeners).

Photos of Flight Data Recorder Recovery

Related AirSafe.com and AirSafeNews.com articles

Initial AirSafe.com Reports on This Event (4:10)
Audio: MP3 | Video: iPod/MP4 | WMV | YouTube

Additional Resources
AirSafe.com Flight 447 page
Synopsis of second BEA interim report (English)
Complete second BEA interim report (English)
Complete second BEA interim report (French)
First BEA Interim Report (English)
First BEA interim report (French)
Other Air France Plane Crashes
Other Airbus A330 Plane Crashes
BEA Flight 447 page
Wikipedia Flight 447 page

Previous AirSafeNews.com Articles
AirSafeNews.com article from 4 April 2011 about first sightings of wreckage
Initial AirSafeNews.com article 3 June 2009
Air France Flight 447 Update 9 June 2009
Air France Flight 447 Update 10 June 2009
Air France Flight 447 Update 15 June 2009
Air France Flight 447 Update 19 June 2009
Air France Flight 447 Update 26 June 2009
Todd Curtis BBC Interview about Air France Flight 447 - 9 July 2009
FAA orders A330 pitot tube replacements - 3 September 2009
Article on Second Interim Report from the BEA - 18 December 2009

Update to the Investigation into the 25 January 2010 Crash of an Ethiopian Airlines 737

The investigation into the 25 January 2010 crash of the Ethiopian Airlines is still in the early stages, with searchers still looking for wreckage and victims. While there has been no formal announcement of the death toll by the investigating authorities, no survivors have been found in the two days since the crash. Most of the aircraft wreckage, including the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder (black boxes) is on the seabed just off the coast has not been recovered. On the 27th, several media outlets, including Ethnomedia.com, reported that at least one of the black boxes was located in about 500 feet of water, and that recovery would be attempted. The American naval vessel USS Rampage was assisting in this effort.

The aircraft crashed into the sea about 6 km past the end of runway 21, about 3.5 km from the village of Naameh. According to the departure procedures for that runway, the airplane was supposed to have turned right due to high terrain east and south of the airport.

Several media outlets also reported that the aircraft failed to follow air traffic control instructions after takeoff or that witnesses reported seeing the aircraft in flames before it struck the surface of the water. None of these reports have been confirmed by part of the Lebanese government that is tasked with investigating this event.

Below is an AP report on the early results of the investigation, including wreckage recovery.

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NTV in Kenya filed the following report:

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BBC Report on Crash Aftermath
BBC reporter Uduak Amimo interview on the Focus on Africa program about what the mood was like in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia's capital the day of the crash.

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Resources
More information on the Ethiopian Airlines Crash
American Airlines 737-800 crash in December 2009
Ethiopian Airlines fatal plane crashes
Fatal 737 plane crashes
Boeing 737 Technical Site
Example 737-800 cockpit with notes
Ethiopian Airlines announces order for 10 737-800 aircraft
Fatal airliner crash rates by model

Air France Flight 447 Update for 10 June 2009

Update for 10 June 2009: The number of bodies recovered has increased to 41, and Brazilian authorities have begun the process of identifying bodies. The Brazilian Air Force has also incorporated the recommended change of the pitot system in the presidential aircraft, an A319. Air France has accelerated its effort to replace pitot tubes on its A330 and A340 Airbus fleet after members of one pilots union threatened to refuse to fly the unmodified airplanes. The airline also estimates that all the affected pitot tubes will be replaced by the end of July.


The vertical stabilizer is the largest piece of the aircraft that has been recovered. It shows no outward sign of fire or explosion, and a closer examination of the damage on that stabilizer will provide clues about whether it separated from the rest of the fuselage on impact with the water or while in flight. AirSafe.com will continue to provide updates to the accident investigation as more information becomes available.

Latest Accident Updates
Other Air France Plane Crashes
Other Airbus A330 Plane Crashes
Accident Analysis from 7 June 2009 Issue of the Times (UK)

Air France Flight 447 Update for 9 June 2009

By Tuesday June 9th, the number of bodies recovered increased to 28, and a substantial amount of wreckage has been recovered, including the vertical stabilizer. The bodies and wreckage were recovered about 400 miles (640 kilometers) northeast of the Fernando de Noronha islands off Brazil's northeastern coast, and about 45 miles (70 kilometers) from where the jet was last estimated position. Equipment for locating the beacons attached to the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder is not yet in place, but will be in the next few days.

Naval forces from Brazil, France, and the US will all be actively involved in this search. In other developments, Air France revealed that their entire A330 fleet had been scheduled to have part of their airspeed measuring system replaced, specifically a device called a pitot tube. While some Air France A330 aircraft had the replacement done, the accident aircraft had not. There is no indication that the this device was related to the sequence of events that led to this crash. AirSafe.com will continue to provide updates to the accident investigation as more information becomes available.

Initial AirSafe.com Reports on This Event (4:10)

Audio: MP3 | Video: iPod/MP4 | WMV | YouTube

Additional Resources
Accident Investigation Updates and Resources
Fatal Events for Airlines from Europe
Fatal Air France Plane Crashes
Other A330 Crash Events
Air France Wikipedia Page
Flight 447 Accident Wikipedia Page