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Only Certainty in Air France Crash: Catastrophic Failure

By Will McCahill,  Newser Staff

Posted Jun 1, 2009 6:00 PM CDT

(Newser) – We might never know what brought down Air France Flight 447 early today, but aviation expert Miles O’Brien believes it was either an exceptionally unlikely event or a series of cascading failures, he writes for True/Slant. A lightning strike, widely reported as a factor, could only have sent the Brazil-Paris flight into the Atlantic if it had triggered a fuel fire—something that hasn’t happened in the US in 42 years.

It is likely, however,  that the Airbus A330—which has never suffered a crash in airline service—was hit by lightning, which knocked out its vulnerable radar system. The veteran crew, scrambling to deal with flying blind in heavy turbulence, could then have blundered into fatally rough weather. “Even today’s advanced—seemingly invincible—airliners are no match for Mother Nature on a bad night,” O’Brien writes. “If a big airplane ends up in the teeth of a powerful thunderstorm, it could be torn to pieces in an instant.”

French President Nicolas Sarkozy addresses reporters at a crisis meeting  at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport today.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy addresses reporters at a crisis meeting at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport today.   (AP Photo)
View at the arrivals doors at Roissy Paris airport after it was announced that an Air France Airbus A330 was missing between Rio de Janeiro and Paris this morning.
View at the arrivals doors at Roissy Paris airport after it was announced that an Air France Airbus A330 was missing between Rio de Janeiro and Paris this morning.   (AP Photo)
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We do know whatever happened on that airplane in its last few minutes was nothing short of horrifying. It is hard to imagine the kind of turbulence that would break up an airliner. - Miles O'Brien

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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 3 comments
Blackbird
Jun 2, 2009 2:18 AM CDT
After you read this article just be sure to remember that the only "fact" is that Air France maintenance received messages that there were electronic failures and that the aircraft crashed. I respect Miles but anything other than the above is pure speculation.
kokuaguy
Jun 1, 2009 11:19 AM CDT
... and sisters.
Observer
Jun 1, 2009 11:04 AM CDT
What a terrible last few moments for our French and Brazilian brothers.

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