flight 447

study case....

im be air crash investigator


the mystery air crash

i will present about....

On the accident on 1st June 2009

To the Airbus A330-203

Registered F-GZCP

Operated by Air France

Flight AF 447 Rio de Janeiro - Paris 

•On 31 May 2009, the Airbus A330 flight AF 447 took off from Rio de Janeiro Galeão

airport bound for Paris Charles de Gaulle. The aeroplane was in contact with the

Brazilian ATLANTICO control centre on the INTOL – SALPU – ORARO - TASIL route at

FL350. At around 2 h 02, the Captain left the cockpit. At around 2 h 08, the crew made

a course change of 12 degrees to the left, probably to avoid returns detected by the

weather radar.

•At 2 h 10 min 05, likely following the obstruction of the Pitot probes by ice crystals, 

the speed indications were incorrect and some automatic systems disconnected. The

aeroplane’s flight path was not controlled by the two copilots. They were rejoined 1

minute 30 later by the Captain, while the aeroplane was in a stall situation that lasted

until the impact with the sea at 2 h 14 min 28.

this is because ....

•ˆˆ Temporary inconsistency between the measured airspeeds, likely following the

obstruction of the Pitot probes by ice crystals that led in particular to autopilot

•disconnection and a reconfiguration to alternate law,

•ˆˆ Inappropriate control inputs that destabilized the flight path,

•ˆˆ The crew not making the connection between the loss of indicated airspeeds and

the appropriate procedure,

•ˆˆ The PNF’s late identification of the deviation in the flight path and insufficient

correction by the PF,

•ˆˆ The crew not identifying the approach to stall, the lack of an immediate reaction

on its part and exit from the flight envelope,

•ˆˆ The crew’s failure to diagnose the stall situation and, consequently, the lack of

any actions that would have made recovery possible.

“Now they’re in trouble, because they’re slowing the plane down, slower than it really should be flying at all, and they put it into a high-speed stall,” Greenberg explained. “The nose goes up to about 16 degrees, and the plane starts climbing. But at that altitude and that speed, it loses speed very quickly and — guess what? At 38,000 feet, it starts to drop, and it’s dropping at some points up to 10,000 feet a minute.”