French plane lost over Atlantic

[solt]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/8076848.stm

1st post. Sorry if this has already been posted or if its in the wrong place... I couldnt see it anywhere.

Anyway, tragic story unfolding by the sound of it. Im sure everybodies thoughts are with those lost.

[Gettingafixonlost]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/8076848.stm

1st post. Sorry if this has already been posted or if its in the wrong place... I couldnt see it anywhere.

Anyway, tragic story unfolding by the sound of it. Im sure everybodies thoughts are with those lost.

Ya I saw that too this morning, what a bummer. We should put good and positive thoughts out there in the universe for them!!

[niko5]

I was just watching this on CNN and they reported an "Electrical Anomaly" just before they lost contact. How weird is that?

[bunnydixon]

:( how awful.

[stargazer]

Thats really sad....

[mhzmike]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/8076848.stm

1st post. Sorry if this has already been posted or if its in the wrong place... I couldnt see it anywhere.

Anyway, tragic story unfolding by the sound of it. Im sure everybodies thoughts are with those lost.

Whether we choose to believe it or not, there are electromagnetic points on the Earth, that could serve as a passage or window into another time parallel, another dimension, or a "place where miracles happen"...our sincere prayers are offered to the families of those feared to have been "LOST"....
...............we'll keep you updated as information is made available to us

[Doriandan]

Indeed,

Quite intense!

Red shirt count....

Jokes aside, that sucks; we are eternal

[losttime]

Aw I was just gonna post this! Hope everyone is safe that was on the plane. How spooky I wish i was on that plane, they're possibly on the island! haha :p:eek:

I am amazed that you even typed such a thing. A tragedy like this and you think these people are on the Island? You need to take a look in the mirror and re-evaluate things. I am curious. If you had a loved one on that flight would you have made an obnoxious comment like this one?

This is the difference between the show and reality. On the show Lost no one knew they were having problems not even Control. It wasnt until they were a thousand miles off course did the pilot realize they were even off course.
What happened other day was a plane disappeared and is known there was electrical problems and were flying through some thunderstorms. A strong lightening strike could severely cripple a planes electrical system and make them invisible to traffic control. A strong enough storm combined with severe lightening could even cause a fire and easily kock out planes form of communication to ATC. Seriously we cant relate everything to Lost and there are mourning families involved. Lets be a little more mature about this sensitive issue.

[Jelena]

I am amazed that you even typed such a thing. A tragedy like this and you think these people are on the Island? You need to take a look in the mirror and re-evaluate things. I am curious. If you had a loved one on that flight would you have made an obnoxious comment like this one?

This is the difference between the show and reality. On the show Lost no one knew they were having problems not even Control. It wasnt until they were a thousand miles off course did the pilot realize they were even off course.
What happened other day was a plane disappeared and is known there was electrical problems and were flying through some thunderstorms. A strong lightening strike could severely cripple a planes electrical system and make them invisible to traffic control. A strong enough storm combined with severe lightening could even cause a fire and easily kock out planes form of communication to ATC. Seriously we cant relate everything to Lost and there are mourning families involved. Lets be a little more mature about this sensitive issue.

Way to go, losttime, nicely said.
This is a tragedy, and it's poor taste to joke about it.

[losttime]

Way to go, losttime, nicely said.
This is a tragedy, and it's poor taste to joke about it.

It amazes me the things a person would say.

[yelhsad319]

It is poor taste to joke about lives lost, but........ Have you read the story?
They said that "the A330 is one of the most reliable planes in the world and that lightning alone, even from a fierce tropical storm, couldn't have brought down the plane."
LOST is only a show, but some of it is real. There is alot about this world that we do not know or understand. Take the Burmuda Triangle for example. That cannot be explained.
They said "there really had to be a succession of extraordinary events to be able to explain this situation." The flight dissappeared 4 hours into its flight, the plane sent an automated message reporting electrical failure, among other "outbursts" of automated messages.
Read the whole article, it is seriously eerie how much it sounds like the show.
And who says it is poor taste for us to think that maybe the plane landed on an island and maybe there are survivors? Sound like HOPE to me.
Keep up the positive thoughts and prayers for the families and passengers.

[chester]

Well said yelhsad.

[t33h33]

Way to go, losttime, nicely said.
This is a tragedy, and it's poor taste to joke about it.

Hey I did say I hope everything is ok and I do realise its a terrible thing but yeah I merely highlighted the humour of the coincidence, lightening the subject but I'm not being offensive or distasteful over it. We're on a lost forum tbh the most i was expecting was a 'yeah how mad would it be if the island was real' There's no need to riducle anyone. I haven't done it to any of you.

[t33h33]

It is poor taste to joke about lives lost, but........ Have you read the story?
They said that "the A330 is one of the most reliable planes in the world and that lightning alone, even from a fierce tropical storm, couldn't have brought down the plane."
LOST is only a show, but some of it is real. There is alot about this world that we do not know or understand. Take the Burmuda Triangle for example. That cannot be explained.
They said "there really had to be a succession of extraordinary events to be able to explain this situation." The flight dissappeared 4 hours into its flight, the plane sent an automated message reporting electrical failure, among other "outbursts" of automated messages.
Read the whole article, it is seriously eerie how much it sounds like the show.
And who says it is poor taste for us to think that maybe the plane landed on an island and maybe there are survivors? Sound like HOPE to me.
Keep up the positive thoughts and prayers for the families and passengers.

Thanks yelhsad :)

[Turnip Queen]

I read about it in the paper this morning -I think it was coming from Brazil! There were three Irish doctors on the plane, and I think there were 7 kids and one baby! It's horrible!

[beachblinkette]

3 Americans on it too, and they are all human beings loved by family and important and dear to them. I think of their terror, and the terrible sadness their friends and relatives must be feeling. It was bad when they said the ocean is 22,000 feet deep in the area where they think the plane crashed. It's just too eerie for me every time I think about it. I'm so sorry for them all.

[Here'sLOCKEing at you,Kid]

Every praying person here, I think, should pray for their poor families that God will help them cope.

[S.T]

They found the ruins. My thoughts are with the families.

[Jelena]

It is poor taste to joke about lives lost, but........ Have you read the story?
They said that "the A330 is one of the most reliable planes in the world and that lightning alone, even from a fierce tropical storm, couldn't have brought down the plane."
LOST is only a show, but some of it is real. There is alot about this world that we do not know or understand. Take the Burmuda Triangle for example. That cannot be explained.
They said "there really had to be a succession of extraordinary events to be able to explain this situation." The flight dissappeared 4 hours into its flight, the plane sent an automated message reporting electrical failure, among other "outbursts" of automated messages.
Read the whole article, it is seriously eerie how much it sounds like the show.
And who says it is poor taste for us to think that maybe the plane landed on an island and maybe there are survivors? Sound like HOPE to me.
Keep up the positive thoughts and prayers for the families and passengers.

I've been following this story since it started, so I'm well informed. I don't know if you've ever watched a show called "Air crash investigation". It's amazing, I learned so much about planes, and some of the planes were brought down by a single screw that came loose, or "minor" parts like that. Now that's scary!
It's not true that a lighting can't bring the plane down. Anything can bring a plane down. And, I don't mean to patronize you, but, most crashes happen because of a series of unfortunate events (ie. "there really had to be a succession of extraordinary events to be able to explain this situation").
Bermuda triangle is explained. It's not a mystery any more.

Hope, yeah, but it was really distasteful how he said he wishes he was on the plane. I mean come on. And in my book, the "ha ha" is really inappropriate in a situation like this, no matter how hopeful you are.

[Jelena]

Hey I did say I hope everything is ok and I do realise its a terrible thing but yeah I merely highlighted the humour of the coincidence, lightening the subject but I'm not being offensive or distasteful over it. We're on a lost forum tbh the most i was expecting was a 'yeah how mad would it be if the island was real' There's no need to riducle anyone. I haven't done it to any of you.

Just for the record, I didn't ridicule you, I just pointed out that it was very distasteful to joke about a thing like that. From my perspective, there's nothing humorous about this tragedy. But hey, that's just me, and there's no need for your to defend yourself to me. It would be mad if the island were real, but I highly doubt that it's even remotely possible.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/americas/06/02/france.plane.passengers/index.html - an article about the impact this crash has on the families. Very sad to read.

[t33h33]

Just for the record, I didn't ridicule you, I just pointed out that it was very distasteful to joke about a thing like that. From my perspective, there's nothing humorous about this tragedy. But hey, that's just me, and there's no need for your to defend yourself to me. It would be mad if the island were real, but I highly doubt that it's even remotely possible.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/americas/06/02/france.plane.passengers/index.html - an article about the impact this crash has on the families. Very sad to read.

fair point but dude tbh there's no point getting into any heated debate and glad you're not too :) oh btw I'm a girl im not a dude. Yeah its terrible. Did anyone see/hear about the boat lost in the brimuda triangle? was in my local cornershop getting milk before college and saw it on a article just gonna check it out, im not sure though if it is anything to do with the plane crash:s like i said ive not check it out yet

[Jelena]

fair point but dude tbh there's no point getting into any heated debate and glad you're not too :) oh btw I'm a girl im not a dude. Yeah its terrible. Did anyone see/hear about the boat lost in the brimuda triangle? was in my local cornershop getting milk before college and saw it on a article just gonna check it out, im not sure though if it is anything to do with the plane crash:s like i said ive not check it out yet

Glad we're on the same page, and that we avoided "a heated debate". Oh, and I'm a girl too. :)

[DarkPhoenix-24]

It is poor taste to joke about lives lost, but........ Have you read the story?
They said that "the A330 is one of the most reliable planes in the world and that lightning alone, even from a fierce tropical storm, couldn't have brought down the plane."
LOST is only a show, but some of it is real. There is alot about this world that we do not know or understand. Take the Burmuda Triangle for example. That cannot be explained.
They said "there really had to be a succession of extraordinary events to be able to explain this situation." The flight dissappeared 4 hours into its flight, the plane sent an automated message reporting electrical failure, among other "outbursts" of automated messages.
Read the whole article, it is seriously eerie how much it sounds like the show.
And who says it is poor taste for us to think that maybe the plane landed on an island and maybe there are survivors? Sound like HOPE to me.
Keep up the positive thoughts and prayers for the families and passengers.


just wanted to point out that they had a whole investigation thing over the burmuda triangle and it's high levels of gas that erupting from that area that messes with the planes and ships! ;)

yes, it is tragic about the plane just disappearing. is it me or has the tragedies in this world been escalating? planes crashing and disappearing... little kids getting shot and killed by crazy neighbors... it's just been getting crazy out there

[losttime]

The bottom line is that to make comments about maybe they ended up on an Island like Lost is just inappropriate and has no place on here. Peoples lives are ended and as we found out they didnt end up on an Island like Lost but perished at sea. Wreckage was found . And to the idiot who is thinking about typing that another "Widmore" is staging it just dont even bother. Like I said before if your mother, father, brother, sister, wife, husband, or anyone else you truly love was on that flight would you be making those idiotic comments about they landed on the Island or whatever. Have respect for the lives lost and the families that are grieving. If you dont agree, too bad. I am just in shock that someone has the nerve to even say things like that on here.

[mkculpe]

The bottom line is that to make comments about maybe they ended up on an Island like Lost is just inappropriate and has no place on here. Peoples lives are ended and as we found out they didnt end up on an Island like Lost but perished at sea. Wreckage was found . And to the idiot who is thinking about typing that another "Widmore" is staging it just dont even bother. Like I said before if your mother, father, brother, sister, wife, husband, or anyone else you truly love was on that flight would you be making those idiotic comments about they landed on the Island or whatever. Have respect for the lives lost and the families that are grieving. If you dont agree, too bad. I am just in shock that someone has the nerve to even say things like that on here.
If my family was on the plane, I would indeed be upset. However, the comment is APPROPRIATE for this website and forum. If you forgot, this is LOST.com. As far as the wreckage they found, it wasn't the plane. It was something else. No, they are probably not on the island, but take a chill pill. There was noone that said Widmore was staging it. You actually are the one who brought up that. So it appears that you wanted to chime in your thoughts by covering it up saying you didn't want others to say it.

[VincentIsMyBFF]

The bottom line is that to make comments about maybe they ended up on an Island like Lost is just inappropriate and has no place on here. Peoples lives are ended and as we found out they didnt end up on an Island like Lost but perished at sea. Wreckage was found . And to the idiot who is thinking about typing that another "Widmore" is staging it just dont even bother. Like I said before if your mother, father, brother, sister, wife, husband, or anyone else you truly love was on that flight would you be making those idiotic comments about they landed on the Island or whatever. Have respect for the lives lost and the families that are grieving. If you dont agree, too bad. I am just in shock that someone has the nerve to even say things like that on here.

true that. Amen.

[losttime]

If my family was on the plane, I would indeed be upset. However, the comment is APPROPRIATE for this website and forum. If you forgot, this is LOST.com. As far as the wreckage they found, it wasn't the plane. It was something else. No, they are probably not on the island, but take a chill pill. There was noone that said Widmore was staging it. You actually are the one who brought up that. So it appears that you wanted to chime in your thoughts by covering it up saying you didn't want others to say it.

Dont even try to tell me I am chiming in my thoughts and covering it up. You dont know me but I am basing it on what I have seen so far on this thread. So you take a chill pill. But if you think its appropriate to say that they wish they were on the flt and that they are probably on the Island than you are insane as well. My purpose of saying not to start making comments about it was not to "chime in" as you claim but to disabuse someone else of making the referrence. I was commenting on the wreckage thats why I mentioned it. I didnt want people to start talking about that so I made it a point to say not to make sick referrences. You are as sick as those who made light of this tragedy. And no, this is not the place to make insensitive remarks on people dying. Like I said. Would you be making these comments if it was someone you loved on the flt? I doubt it highly.

Oh yea if you think this comment Originally Posted by t33h33
. "How spooky I wish i was on that plane, they're possibly on the island! haha" is appropriate. All I can say is wow.

[VincentIsMyBFF]

k.... OMG um now its getting a little out of hand. I highly doubt that like the people on the plane would rather us to argue about petty things, than like pray for them and their family. Seriously. We should just..... drop it, and show some respect.

[chester]

I think if it's okay to say pray for them (which presumably means you hope they find their way into heaven?), it should be okay to hope they are alive on a mysterious island.

[Doriandan]

Indeed

Social variations exist to encourage tolerance and understanding

We all have emotions that are universal but our norms and views can be different for so many justifiable reasons.

There are some that feel it is fine to suggest something abstract for death. Then there are some who "respect" the dead.

Neither way is right or wrong it is simply black and white.

We are one.

[losttime]

Indeed

Social variations exist to encourage tolerance and understanding

We all have emotions that are universal but our norms and views can be different for so many justifiable reasons.

There are some that feel it is fine to suggest something abstract for death. Then there are some who "respect" the dead.

Neither way is right or wrong it is simply black and white.

We are one.

Just Say No

[losttime]

It is poor taste to joke about lives lost, but........ Have you read the story?
They said that "the A330 is one of the most reliable planes in the world and that lightning alone, even from a fierce tropical storm, couldn't have brought down the plane."
LOST is only a show, but some of it is real. There is alot about this world that we do not know or understand. Take the Burmuda Triangle for example. That cannot be explained.
They said "there really had to be a succession of extraordinary events to be able to explain this situation." The flight dissappeared 4 hours into its flight, the plane sent an automated message reporting electrical failure, among other "outbursts" of automated messages.
Read the whole article, it is seriously eerie how much it sounds like the show.
And who says it is poor taste for us to think that maybe the plane landed on an island and maybe there are survivors? Sound like HOPE to me.
Keep up the positive thoughts and prayers for the families and passengers.

It was not hope it was insensitivity as far as I am concerned. To finish off a comment with "haha" to me is sick. If I had a family member on the flt and I saw someone make comments like that I would be more than angry. I watch Lost and I was on a plane the other day. I wasnt thinking that "ohh Imight end up on the IslandWe can have hope that the people on the plane survived but even if they were on some Island like on Lost(which i doubt very highly) there are family members who are mourning and I am sure some of them even watch Lost but I would like to see how many are thinking of that their loved ones are on some Island.

[notsolost42]

People deal with death in many different ways. As long as we recognize the difference between fact and fantasy this discussion is a good way of dealing with this horrible tragedy. Personally, I can't help to giggle at funeral services. It is just a nervous reaction and there is never any harm intended.

[losttime]

People deal with death in many different ways. As long as we recognize the difference between fact and fantasy this discussion is a good way of dealing with this horrible tragedy. Personally, I can't help to giggle at funeral services. It is just a nervous reaction and there is never any harm intended.

Notso I agree that people deal with death differently but when the person is not related or not associated with the death than they need to exercise a little respect and not say they wish they were on that flt that it might have landed on the Island and finish off by saying "haha" at the end I dont see it being a sensitive remark. Nor would I think the families who are mourning would find it funny as well.

[notsolost42]

Notso I agree that people deal with death differently but when the person is not related or not associated with the death than they need to exercise a little respect and not say they wish they were on that flt that it might have landed on the Island and finish off by saying "haha" at the end I dont see it being a sensitive remark. Nor would I think the families who are mourning would find it funny as well.

I think you may be a little too harsh. While I agree the statement made was in poor taste, I think that it may have just been the posters way of coping with the situation. They did in fact post in their first sentence that they wished everyone on the flight was safe. Then the posters coping mechanism seems to have taken over and they delved into a fantasy outcome and involved themselves. I think perhaps it is more youth and inexperience than harmful intent.

[losttime]

I think you may be a little too harsh. While I agree the statement made was in poor taste, I think that it may have just been the posters way of coping with the situation. They did in fact post in their first sentence that they wished everyone on the flight was safe. Then the posters coping mechanism seems to have taken over and they delved into a fantasy outcome and involved themselves. I think perhaps it is more youth and inexperience than harmful intent.

OK I know I was harsh. I deal with death on almost a daily basis in the medical field and know a comment like that is just outrageous. I can post anything nice and than say something gross afterwards. Doesnt make me sensitive to the matter. I am sure that if that plane was going down, the last thing on that person's mind or anyone elses mind who was on that flt and watches Lost is 'Oh maybe I will end up on the Island" But if it was coping than fine, I apologize,but I dont think it was coping they were making a sad attempt at trying to be funny. I am done with this thread though. People can post what they want. Their true colors will be revealed, thats all.

[notsolost42]

OK I know I was harsh. I deal with death on almost a daily basis in the medical field and know a comment like that is just outrageous. I can post anything nice and than say something gross afterwards. Doesnt make me sensitive to the matter. I am sure that if that plane was going down, the last thing on that person's mind or anyone elses mind who was on that flt and watches Lost is 'Oh maybe I will end up on the Island" But if it was coping than fine, I apologize,but I dont think it was coping they were making a sad attempt at trying to be funny. I am done with this thread though. People can post what they want. Their true colors will be revealed, thats all.

I am not saying you are wrong...absolutly not. You are quite sensative to the topic and probably because of your closeness to it in your work. I completly understand as I have both worked as an MA and a 911 dispatcher. We would make some awful jokes in the police department sometimes after a tragedy. It was how we coped with the situation and did not reflect our real feelings. Sometimes you just have to leave them on the shelf, if you know what I mean. I just think that the poster is young and that shows and did not mean any harm by the comment. No one is right or wrong...everyone deals differently. That's all and I agree that this thread should be left to just fade away now.

[Doriandan]

Indeed

Social variations exist to encourage tolerance

Look how far we've come

[Foro777]

The pieces they found weren'y of the plane, saw it on the news last night. They were just wreckage dumped from ships. So.. the plane is still (as of last night) unaacounted for...

[notsolost42]

The pieces they found weren'y of the plane, saw it on the news last night. They were just wreckage dumped from ships. So.. the plane is still (as of last night) unaacounted for...

Not anymore. Unfortunatly they pulled two bodies out of the ocean today along with luggage and a briefcase containing an airline ticket for the missing flight. The location has now been identified and they believe all onboard are, very sadly, dead. Can we now please end this thread and discuss Lost on other threads instead? This is just so very sad.

[Foro777]

Not anymore. Unfortunatly they pulled two bodies out of the ocean today along with luggage and a briefcase containing an airline ticket for the missing flight. The location has now been identified and they believe all onboard are, very sadly, dead. Can we now please end this thread and discuss Lost on other threads instead? This is just so very sad.

shame...
well yeah, let's move on, then. :(

[lee]

NBC News and news services
updated 10:33 p.m. ET, Sat., June 6, 2009

PARIS - Searchers found two bodies and a briefcase containing a ticket for Air France Flight 447 in the Atlantic Ocean close to where the jetliner is believed to have crashed, a Brazil military official said Saturday.

The U.S. Navy is sending two "pinger locators" to aid in the deep sea search for the "black box" from the ill-fated flight, U.S. officials told NBC News. The U.S. officials said the locators will be towed behind two French tug boats that are en route to the site. The listening devices can detect signals from a pinger at 20,000 feet, nearly four miles, beneath the ocean's surface.

A U.S. Navy team of about 20 will accompany the pinger locators, which will be flown by commercial air to Brazil on Monday.

The French agency investigating the disaster, meanwhile, said airspeed instruments on the plane were not replaced as the maker recommended before it disappeared in turbulent weather nearly a week ago.

Air France acknowledged on Saturday that speed monitors on Airbus planes have proven faulty, icing up at high altitude, and that recommendations to change them were first made in September 2007. Air France said it began replacing the monitors on the Airbus A330 model on April 27.

The French accident investigation agency, BEA, found the doomed plane received inconsistent airspeed readings by different instruments as it struggled in a massive thunderstorm on its flight with 228 people aboard.

Airbus had recommended to all its airline customers that they replace speed-measuring instruments known as Pitot tubes on the A330, the model used for Flight 447, said Paul-Louis Arslanian, the head of the agency.

"They hadn't yet been replaced" on the plane that crashed, said Alain Bouillard, head of the French investigation. Air France declined immediate comment.

Arslanian of the BEA cautioned that it is too early to draw conclusions about the role of Pitot tubes in the crash, saying that "it does not mean that without replacing the Pitots that the A330 was dangerous."

He told a news conference at the agency's headquarters, near Paris that the crash of Flight 447 also does not mean similar plane models are unsafe, adding that he told family members not to worry about flying.

Airbus had made the recommendation for "a number of reasons," he said.

Recovery of bodies, ticket

The two male bodies were recovered Saturday morning about 45 miles south of where Air Flight 447 emitted its last signals — roughly 400 miles northeast of the Fernando de Noronha islands off Brazil's northern coast.

One recovered body was still strapped in the seat with a boarding card for Flight 447, according to NBC News reports.

Brazilian air force spokesman Col. Jorge Amaral said an Air France ticket was also found inside a leather briefcase.

"It was confirmed with Air France that the ticket number corresponds to a passenger on the flight," he said.

Brazilian authorities refused to comment on how the discovery of the bodies may affect the search for crucial black box flight recorders that could tell investigators why the jet crashed.

The investigation is increasingly focused on whether external instruments may have iced over, confusing speed sensors and leading computers to set the plane's speed too fast or slow — a potentially deadly mistake in severe turbulence.

Pitot tubes, protruding from the wing or fuselage of a plane, feed airspeed sensors and are heated to prevent icing. A blocked or malfunctioning Pitot tube could cause an airspeed sensor to work incorrectly and cause the computer controlling the plane to accelerate or decelerate in a potentially dangerous fashion.

Air France has already replaced the Pitots on another Airbus model, the 320, after its pilots reported similar problems with the instrument, according to an Air France air safety report filed by pilots in January and obtained by The Associated Press.

24 messages
The report followed an incident in which an Air France flight from Tokyo to Paris reported problems with its airspeed indicators similar to those believed to have been encountered by Flight 447. In that case, the Pitot tubes were found to have been blocked by ice.


Video
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/31142429#31142429



Did faulty airspeed gauges play a role?
June 6: The agency investigating the disaster said the airspeed instruments weren’t replaced. NBC’s Lester Holt speaks with NBC’s Tom Costello.
Nightly News

"Following similar problems frequently encountered on the A320 fleet, preventative actions have already been decided and applied," the safety report says. The Pitots on all Air France's A320s were retrofitted with new Pitots "less susceptible to these weather conditions."

The same report says Air France decided to increase the inspection frequency for its A330 and A340 jets' Pitot tubes, but that it had been waiting for a recommendation from Airbus before installing new Pitots.

As they try to locate the wreckage, investigators are relying on 24 messages the plane sent automatically during the last minutes of the flight.

The signals show the plane's autopilot was not on, officials said, but it was not clear if the autopilot had been switched off by the pilots or had stopped working because it received conflicting airspeed readings.

The flight disappeared nearly four hours after takeoff, killing all on board. It was Air France's deadliest plane crash and the world's worst commercial air accident since 2001.

The head of France's weather forecasting agency, Alain Ratier, said weather conditions at the time of the flight were not exceptional for the time of the year and region, which is known for violent stormy weather.