World Loss Log 7 – 23 July 2009

Late reports

2.7, Air France crash

France: the Air France Flight 447 flight was intact at the point at which it slammed belly first into the Atlantic Ocean at a very high speed according to Alain Bouillard, the investigator who is leading the investigation into the Jun 1 crash for the French accident agency. He noted that problems with the aircraft’s speed sensors were not the direct cause of the crash. The speed sensors, called Pitot tubes, were “a factor but not the only one.” Mr Bouillard told a news conference in Le Bourget outside Paris. He also said that the investigation was far from establishing the causes of the accident. Investigators have found “neither traces of fire nor traces of explosives.” Life vests found among the wreckage were not inflated, suggesting that passengers were not prepared for a crash landing in the water. The pilots apparently also did not send any mayday calls. According to Mr Bouillard there was “no information” suggesting a need to ground the world’s fleet of more than 600 A330 aircraft as a result of the crash. He also acknowledged that the chances of finding the flight recorders were reducing daily as the signals they emit fade. Without them, the full causes of the tragic accident may never be known.