Air France Flight May Join Aviation Mysteries

Crash raises questions on if today's pilots can cope with computer failure

(NEWSER) - Investigators trying to piece together the fate of Air France Flight 447 in the absence of its black boxes are focusing on possible computer failures, the Wall Street Journal reports. The evidence suggests a problem with the sensors quickly snowballed into widespread computer outages, leaving the crew struggling to manage without the automated systems on which modern pilots rely. More»

(AP) - Signals sent by Air France Flight 447 before it disappeared show its autopilot was not on, the head of the French agency leading the investigation into the crash said today, though it was not clear if it had been switched off or had stopped working because it received conflicting airspeed readings. Airbus says the investigation found the flight received inconsistent readings from different instruments as it struggled in a massive thunderstorm. More»

Move would help settle vast estate of missing aviator

(NEWSER) - The wife of Steve Fossett, who went missing in September while flying his plane over the rugged terrain of northwest Nevada, asked an Illinois court yesterday to declare him legally dead, the AP reports. If granted, the request would allow the vast estate of the millionaire adventurer to be settled, said an attorney for Peggy Fossett. More»

Search for millionaire adventurer yields no clues

(NEWSER) - Searchers combing Nevada for Steve Fossett's plane have found six other uncharted wrecks, but no sign of the millionaire adventurer who's been missing since Monday. One downed plane thought to be his was found to have been last registered 30 years ago, CNN reports. Fossett's family remains optimistic, despite the discovery that Fossett took off with only one water bottle. More»

Sukhoi Superjet-100 spotted on side of volcano south of Jakarta

(NEWSER) - The wreckage of a Russian passenger jet that vanished over Indonesia during a demonstration flight yesterday has been located on the side of a volcano south of Jakarta, and rescuers have spotted bodies. Helicopter crews spotted wreckage on a cliff on the side of Mount Salak at an elevation of 5,000 feet. Due to heavy mist and the remoteness of the crash site, the retrieval won't begin until tomorrow, at which time the bodies will be placed in nets and hoisted into a hovering chopper. Soldiers, police, and volunteers continue to traverse the rugged terrain in hopes of locating survivors. Potential buyers and journalists made up the majority of the 45 on board the flight, reports the AP . More»