French investigators release second interim report on the Air France Flight 447 accident

by B. N. Sullivan

A second interim report about Air France Flight 447 has been released by the French Bureau d’Enquêtes et d’Analyses (BEA). Flight 447 was the Airbus A330-200 that was lost over the Atlantic on June 1 of this year while en route from Rio de Janeiro to Paris. The BEA had released its first interim report in July.

This most recent report describes the ongoing work of the investigators, focusing on:

• the pieces of recovered wreckage
• meteorological conditions at the time of the accident
• maintenance messages transmitted by ACARS
• the certification and the continuing airworthiness of the Pitot probes
• speed inconsistencies during cruise

By its very nature as an 'interim' report, the document presents no conclusions about the cause of the accident, saying "At this stage, in the absence of any data from the flight recorders, the main parts of the airplane and any witness testimony on the flight, the precise circumstances of the accident, and therefore its causes, have still not been determined. The investigative work is continuing with this objective."

The new report (links below) includes many photographs of pieces of debris recovered from the ocean, with explanations, as well as a number of explanatory diagrams.

Regarding physical evidence from the aircraft passenger cabin, the report says, "The cabin crew’s seatbelts that were found (three out of eleven) were not in use at the moment of impact."

The report notes that recovered life jackets were still in their packages, and that examination of several of the recovered passenger oxygen containers "showed that they were in the closed position," i.e., had not deployed. "There had been no cabin depressurisation," says the report.

Regarding pieces of wing and control surface that had been recovered, the report notes deformations that "were the result of the bottom-upwards loads." Evidence such as this has led investigators to the belief that the aircraft hit the water largely intact and on its belly.

Several parts of the aircraft's flap extension mechanism fairing were found. Analysis and comparison with an identical aircraft "made it possible to determine that the flaps were in the 'retracted' position at the time of impact with the water."

The vertical stabilizer was recovered largely intact and "in generally good condition." According to the report, "The damage due to separation from the fuselage was essentially located at the root of the vertical stabiliser."

The vertical stabiliser’s side panels did not show signs of compression damage. The breaks seen at the level of the lateral load pick-up rods were the result of the backwards movement of the attachments and centre and aft frames. The
observations made on the vertical stabiliser are not consistent with a failure due to lateral loads in flight.

In regard to fuselage parts (remains of the skin, frames and web frames), the report says, "The fuselage was sheared along the frames and centre and aft attachment lugs by loads applied bottom-upwards."

The observations made on the debris (toilet doors, partitions, galleys, cabin crew rest module, spoiler, aileron, vertical stabiliser) evidenced high rates of compression resulting from a high rate of descent at the time of impact with the water.

This high rate of compression can be seen all over the aircraft and symmetrically on the right- and left-hand sides.

High levels of loading would be required to cause the damage observed forward of the vertical stabiliser (compression failure of the forward attachment).

These observations are not compatible with a separation of the aft part of the fuselage in flight.

The patterns of deformation also led the investigators to conclude that "the aircraft had low bank and little sideslip on impact," and that the deformations "were not consistent with an aircraft nose-down attitude at the moment of impact.'

Commentary on the autopsies performed on human remains recovered also is included in this report.

The autopsies performed made it possible to identify fifty persons: forty-five passengers, four flight attendants, including an in-charge flight attendant, and the Captain.

Many of the observed injuries, including fractures to the pelvis, spine and thorax, were said to be "compatible with the effect, on a seated person, of high acceleration whose component in the axis of the spinal column is oriented upwards through the pelvis."

The report notes that "information from the autopsies does not make it possible to reach a conclusion as to the location of the Captain at the time of the accident."

To read the report for yourself, follow either of these links to the BEA's second interim report on the Air France Flight 447 accident investigation:

• in French (106-page 'PDF' file)
• in English (74-page 'PDF' file

Note: If the BEA web site is busy or the documents fail to load, here is an alternative source for the English version of the second BEA Interim report.


RELATED: Click here to view all posts about Air France Flt 447 on Aircrew Buzz.

Interim report on the crash of Air France Flight 447 released by French BEA

by B. N. Sullivan

The French Bureau d’Enquêtes et d’Analyses (BEA) released an interim report today concerning the crash of Air France Flight 447. The Airbus A330-200 (registraion F-GZCP) was lost over the Atlantic Ocean on June 1, 2009 while en route from Rio de Janeiro to Paris. There were three pilots, nine cabin crew, and 216 passengers on board. All perished in the accident.

Perhaps the most striking detail among the initial findings presented in this report was the statement that "visual examination showed that the airplane was not destroyed in flight; it appears to have struck the surface of the sea in a straight line with high vertical acceleration."

Prior to the release of today's report, there had been wide speculation that the aircraft broke up while still aloft.

Here is the summary of initial findings, quoted directly from the English language version of the report (pp. 68-69). [See below for links to the report.]

On the basis of the first factual elements gathered in the course of the investigation, the following facts have been established:

• The crew possessed the licenses and ratings required to undertake the flight
• The airplane possessed a valid Certificate of Airworthiness, and had been maintained in accordance with the regulations,
• the airplane had taken off from Rio de Janeiro without any known technical problems, except on one of the three radio handling panels,
• no problems were indicated by the crew to Air France or during contacts with the Brazilian controllers,
• no distress messages were received by the control centres or by other airplanes,
• there were no satellite telephone communications between the airplane and the ground,
• the last radio exchange between the crew and Brazilian ATC occurred at 1 h 35 min 15 s. The airplane arrived at the edge of radar range of the Brazilian control centres,
• at 2 h 01, the crew tried, without success for the third time, to connect to the Dakar ATC ADS-C system,
• up to the last automatic position point, received at 2 h 10 min 35 s, the flight had followed the route indicated in the flight plan,
• the meteorological situation was typical of that encountered in the month of June in the inter-tropical convergence zone,
• there were powerful cumulonimbus clusters on the route of AF447. Some of them could have been the centre of some notable turbulence,
• several airplanes that were flying before and after AF 447, at about the same altitude, altered their routes in order to avoid cloud masses,
• twenty-four automatic maintenance messages were received between 2 h 10 and 2 h 15 via the ACARS system. These messages show inconsistency between the measured speeds as well as the associated consequences,
• before 2 h 10, no maintenance messages had been received from AF 447, with the exception of two messages relating to the configuration of the toilets,
• the operator’s and the manufacturer’s procedures mention actions to be undertaken by the crew when they have doubts as to the speed indications,
• the last ACARS message was received towards 2 h 14 min 28 s,
• the flight was not transferred between the Brazilian and Senegalese control centres,
• between 8 h and 8 h 30, the first emergency alert messages were sent by the Madrid and Brest control centres,
• the first bodies and airplane parts were found on 6 June,
• the elements identified came from all areas of the airplane,
• visual examination showed that the airplane was not destroyed in flight ; it appears to have struck the surface of the sea in a straight line with high vertical acceleration.

The BEA notes that some of the points covered "may evolve with time," and that the contents of the Interim report should not "be interpreted as an indication of the orientation or conclusions of the investigation" of this accident.

The aircraft's Flight Data Recorder and Cockpit Voice Recorder have not been recovered, but efforts to find them are still underway. The investigation is expected to continue for quite some time.

Here are the links to the BEA Interim Report on Air France 447:

• in French (128-page 'PDF' file)
• in English (72-page PDF file)

Note: If the BEA web site is busy or the documents fail to load, here is an alternative source for both the French and English versions of the BEA Interim report.

[Image Source]


RELATED: Click here to view all posts about Air France Flt 447 on Aircrew Buzz.

Air France Flight 447: Wreckage and human remains recovered, search continues

The Brazilian Air Force (Força Aérea Brasileira) released photos today of some debris believed to be wreckage from the Air France Airbus A330-200 that disappeared over the Atlantic nearly a week ago. While some debris found early this past week turned out not to have been from the accident aircraft, at least some of the most recently recovered wreckage is identifiable as having come from an Air France aircraft.

The item shown in the photo on this page appears to be a piece of a mobile crew rest unit of the sort used on A340 and A330 aircraft. Such removable crew rest units are located on the lower deck (i.e., cargo hold) of the aircraft for use by crew members during long haul flights. Here is a link to a photo of a similar mobile crew rest unit on a Lufthansa aircraft. [Tip of the hat to @naugusta for posting that link on Twitter.]

Brazilian and French salvage teams searching at sea for wreckage from Air France Flight 447 have found humans remains among the debris. As of this afternoon, 17 bodies had been recovered. They have not yet been identified.

A total of 228 people perished in the accident. The search and recovery effort will continue.

[Photo Source]


RELATED: Click here to view all posts about Air France Flt 447 on Aircrew Buzz.

Air France and BEA press releases regarding the AF447 pitot tube issue

After every major aircraft accident, media reports are rife with speculation about the cause. This is especially so in the case of high profile accidents that generate international interest, such as the loss of Air France Flight 447, the Airbus A330-200 that was lost over the Atlantic several days ago. In this particular case, the situation is complicated by the fact that very little factual information about what happened is available.

In the past few days, much speculation by the press has centered on reports of ACARS messages transmitted by the aircraft while it was en route, which may have indicated 'speed sensor' problems. Presumably, the 'speed sensors' in question are the aircraft's pitot tubes and the electronics associated with processing data they provide.

I thought it would be useful to set forth the contents of official statements on the issue made by the Bureau d'Enquêtes et d'Analyses (BEA) -- the French accident investigation agency -- and Air France. Together, these statements amount to the only factual information that is available at this time.

A statement released yesterday by the BEA about AF447 confirmed that the accident aircraft transmitted automated messages that indicated inconsistency between different speed measures. No more, no less. Here is the link to the BEA press release (in French).

Today, Air France addressed the issue with a press release of its own. The Air France press release about the pitot tubes is presented here in its entirety:

Following the many questions which have appeared in the media on the issue of the Pitot probes in its fleet (the Pitot probe is an instrument which measures the air speed of the aircraft), Air France wishes to make the following clarifications:

1) Malfunctions in the Pitot probes on the A 320 led the manufacturer to issue a recommendation in September 2007 to change the probes. This recommendation also applies to long-haul aircraft using the same probes and on which a very few incidents of a similar nature had occurred.

It should be noted that a recommendation from the manufacturer gives the operator total freedom to apply the corresponding guidelines fully, partially or not at all. Should flight safety be concerned, the manufacturer, together with the authorities, issues a mandatory service bulletin followed by an airworthiness directive (AD).

The recommendation to change the probes was implemented by Air France on its A320 fleet where this type of incident involving water ingress had been observed. It was not implemented on the A340/330s as no such incidents had been noted.

2) Starting in May 2008 Air France experienced incidents involving a loss of airspeed data in flight, in cruise phase on A340s and A330s. These incidents were analysed with Airbus as resulting from pitot probe icing for a few minutes, after which the phenomenon disappeared. Discussions subsequently took place with the manufacturer. Air France asked for a solution which would reduce or eliminate the occurrence of these incidents. In response to these requests, the manufacturer indicated that the probe model recommended for the A320 was not designed to prevent such incidents which took place at cruise levels, and reiterated the operational procedures well-known to the crews.

In the first quarter of 2009 laboratory tests suggested, however, that the new probe could represent a valuable improvement to reduce the incidence of high altitude airspeed discrepancy resulting from pitot probe icing, and an in service evaluation in real flight conditions was proposed by Airbus. Without waiting for the in service evaluation, Air France decided to replace all its probes and the programme was launched on 27 April 2009.

Without making any assumptions as to a possible link with the causes of the accident, Air France speeded up this programme and reminded its pilots of the current instructions issued by the manufacturer to cope with the loss of airspeed data.

Source: Flight Air France 447 Rio de Janeiro - Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Press Release No. 12


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Brazil: Debris confirms Air France Flight 447 crash in the Atlantic

A short time ago, Brazilian Defense Minister Nelson Jobim announced that debris discovered in the Atlantic Ocean is from Air France Flight 447, the Airbus A330-200 that vanished while en route from Rio de Janeiro to Paris earlier this week. According to Bloomberg News the debris, which consisted of wire and metal pieces, was found over a 5-kilometer (3.1-mile) stretch of ocean.

The brief Bloomberg article about the debris discovery quotes Jobim, who told reporters, “A Hercules plane spotted a debris line stretching 5 kilometers, which confirms the plane crashed in that area.”

Earlier in the day there were several media reports of debris sightings by search aircraft, although officials were cautious not to confirm prematurely that the items were from the missing Air France A330. Those earlier reports, from several sources, described airline seats and orange life vests among the items sighted on the ocean surface, thus Mr. Jobim's eventual announcement came as no surprise.

Now that the debris has been identified as that of the lost Air France Airbus, efforts will focus on locating and possibly retrieving the so-called 'black boxes', i.e., the Flight Data Recorder and the Cockpit Voice Recorder. Worth reading: Reuters has published an interesting article about the challenges of retrieving the devices from the deep ocean. Clearly, the search and recovery effort will continue for quite awhile.

There were 248 people on board Air France Flight 447: three pilots, nine cabin crew, and 216 passengers. All are presumed to have perished in the accident. Thus far, no human remains have been found.

It is not yet known whether the aircraft broke up while aloft, or whether it crashed into the ocean, nor is it known what caused the accident. I will continue to post updates about this tragedy as more information becomes available.

RELATED: Click here to view all posts about Air France Flt 447 on Aircrew Buzz.

Catastrophe: Air France Airbus A330 with 248 on board lost over the Atlantic

An Air France Airbus A330-200 aircraft with 12 crew and 216 passengers on board has been lost over the Atlantic Ocean. The aircraft (registration F-GZCP), operating as Air France Flight AF447, was en route from Rio de Janeiro to Paris when contact with the aircraft ceased. Now long overdue at its destination and with no further communication, the aircraft is presumed to have been lost.

At a press conference several hours ago, Air France CEO Pierre-Henri Gourgeon told reporters, "We are without a doubt faced with an air disaster. The entire company is thinking of the families and their pain."

Air France Flight 447 departed Rio's Galeao International Airport (GIG) at 19:03 local time on Sunday, May 31, 2009 for a scheduled passenger flight to Paris- Charles De Gaulle (CDG). According to Air France, the last communication from the aircraft was at 04:14 Paris time. The aircraft was due to arrive at CDG at 11:10 Paris time.

News reports, quoting Air France officials, say that an 'automated message' received from the aircraft indicated an electrical fault and loss of cabin pressure. The aircraft was believed to be flying through stormy weather and severe turbulence at the time it vanished, but the extent to which the weather contributed to the accident is unclear at this time.

Powered by twin General Electric CF6-80E engines, the aircraft entered service in April of 2005, and is said to have logged 18,870 flight hours. Its last major maintenance check was in April of this year, according to Air France.

Updates will follow here on Aircrew Buzz as more information becomes available.

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RELATED:

• Brazil: Debris confirms Air France Flight 447 crash in the Atlantic - AircrewBuzz.com, June 2, 2009
• Air France and BEA press releases regarding the AF447 pitot tube issue - AircrewBuzz.com, June 6, 2009
• Air France Flight 447: Wreckage and human remains recovered, search continues - AircrewBuzz.com, June 7, 2009
• Interim report on the crash of Air France Flight 447 released by French BEA - AircrewBuzz.com, July 2, 2009
• French investigators release second interim report on the Air France Flight 447 accident - AircrewBuzz.com, Dec. 21, 2009

... or click here to view all posts about Air France Flt 447 on Aircrew Buzz.