Plane crash
June 2, 2009
Brazil's air force said early on Tuesday that the wreckage, which includes airplane seats and other metallic objects, had been sighted at 400 miles (650 km) off Brazil's northern coast.
Defense Minister Nelson Jobim told reporters in Rio de Janeiro late on Tuesday that "there are no doubts" that the pieces of debris, which included plane seats and spilled jet fuel, were remnants of Air France flight 447.
The effort to remove the material from the water is set to begin Wednesday morning, when a group of Brazilian naval vessels arrives in the area. Jobim said if any bodies were to be found, they would be brought to a nearby airport on the archipelago of Fernando de Noronha and flown to their families.
The Air France plane was headed to Paris from Rio de Janeiro on Monday when it disappeared from radar screens about four hours into the flight.
International search effort
A vast search for the missing plane began Monday with search teams working around the clock. Authorities fear that all aboard were killed.
French jets and naval ships also joined the search, and US President Barack Obama responded to France's call for help with a pledge to do what he can.
Speaking on Europe 1 radio, French Defense Minister Herve Morin said the search would go on as long as necessary. “All means are deployed in the area and we’ll put as many assets at their disposal as necessary.”
On board the plane were 61 French citizens, 58 Brazilians, 26 Germans, nine Chinese and nine Italians. A lesser number of citizens from 27 other countries also were on the passenger list, including two Americans.
This is the first major incident in Brazilian air space since a Tam flight crashed in Sao Paulo in July 2007 killing 199 people.
Speculation over cause of crash
There has been some speculation that a lightning strike may have sealed the fate of the 228 passengers on board the Paris-bound flight 447, but aviation experts say that alone would not have been enough to cause the tragedy.
Shortly before the plane disappeared from the radar, it sent a number of error messages that showed that several electrical systems had failed.
Speaking to reporters at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, Air France's chief executive, Pierre-Henri Gourgeon, said “it is probable that it was shortly after these messages that the impact in the Atlantic came.”
But until there is certainty, Defense Minister Morin said it was vital to explore all possibilities.
“We cannot, by definition, exclude a terrorist attack,” he said. “But today we have no evidence whatsoever of the cause of the accident.”
Air France has opened a telephone hotline for friends and relatives of people on the plane - 00 33 157021055 for callers outside France and 0800 800812 for inside France.
mrh/sp/tkw/AP/reuters
Editor: Chuck Penfold