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Air France Pilots Didn't Know What Was Happening

Neither co-pilot had been trained for sensor malfunctions, new report says

By the Associated Press

Posted Jul 29, 2011 7:31 AM CDT

(AP) – The crew piloting a doomed Air France jet over the Atlantic did not appear to know that the plane was in a stall, despite repeated warning signals, and never informed the passengers that anything was wrong before the jet plunged into the sea, according to new findings released today. Based on cockpit recordings from the crash, the French air accident investigation agency is recommending mandatory training for all pilots to help them fly planes manually and handle a high-altitude stall.

The report confirms that external speed sensors obstructed by ice crystals produced irregular speed readings on the plane. A stall warning sounded numerous times, and once for a full 54 seconds, but the crew made no reference to it in cockpit exchanges before the jet crashed, according to the BEA. The pilot was on break at the time, and neither of the co-pilots at the controls had received recent training for manual aircraft handling or had any high-altitude schooling in case of unreliable air speed readings.

In this Monday, June 8, 2009 file photo released by Brazil's Air Force, Brazil's Navy sailors recover debris from the missing Air France Flight 447 in the Atlantic Ocean.
In this Monday, June 8, 2009 file photo released by Brazil's Air Force, Brazil's Navy sailors recover debris from the missing Air France Flight 447 in the Atlantic Ocean.   (AP Photo/Brazil's Air Force, file)
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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 20 comments
DontLikeYou
Jul 29, 2011 12:48 PM CDT
Flight school 101.  Stall horn?  Nose down, power up.  This is tragic because a simple sensor and lack of good sense by these pilots caused so many deaths.
1942
Jul 29, 2011 12:10 PM CDT
The recovery of the black boxes is a miracle in itself.  Thank you Air France for being honest as to what happened in the cockpit.  This new evidence enhances confidence.  "And the Truth shall set you Free". It is very possible that the Pilot wanted to avert the tragedy, but may have been physically unable to return to his seat due to the severity of the gravitational pull.
pwnage
Jul 29, 2011 8:34 AM CDT
 They teach how to avoid a stall at the onset of it, not necessarily how to get out of a deep stall.  A stall is primarily a function of angle of attack, not just speed.  What I don't understand is why the stall warnings stop when the indicated air speed is below 60 knots.  Since the pitots were blocked, the stall warnings stopped because the speed was incorrectly read as too slow, then started again after the PF started to put the nose down to get out of the stall.  That probably confused the heck out of the crew.

Copyright 2012 Newser, LLC. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. AP contributed to this report.

 
plane crash • flight recorder • Air France • Air France Flight 447 • speed sensor • pilot error • co-pilot

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