Air France passenger jet vanishes from radar, 228 people disappeared.

[Captain.Remy]

A French passenger aircraft carrying 228 people has disappeared from radar off the coast of Brazil, airline officials say.

Air France told CNN the jet was traveling from Rio de Janeiro to Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris when it vanished.

The airline said flight AF447 was carrying 216 passengers in addition to a crew of 12.

French media said the aircraft was an Airbus A330-200.

State radio reported a crisis centre was being set up at Charles de Gaulle where the plane had been due to land at 11.15 a.m. local time.

Airport officials in Rio declined to comment on the incident.

Link (http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/americas/06/01/air.france.brazil/index.html)

[MR.K!]

:shocked:

[ILoveTRW]

Just seen it on the ITV news, was its pathway over the bermuda triangle by any chance?

[lily.]

Oh my god.. when I read the thread title, I thought of Oceanic Flight 815.. :S

[monkeyking87]

Jesus thats weird

*turns on BFM and itele*

[MR.K!]

Originally posted by lili
Oh my god.. when I read the thread title, I thought of Oceanic Flight 815.. :S

I know ! Me too :tongue:

[Captain.Remy]

Nobody knows where they are. Also, the Air France headquarters don't answer calls from the public which is weird. Either they know what's going on or they don't answer in case to make a big panic.

But this is scary.

[monkeyking87]

On itele, a french news channel, they are reporting that there is absolutely no hope for any of the passaengers.

This is very weird

[Sod_James]

Well its obviously gone down somwhere. Planes full of people dont just vanish in mid air.

Or best case scenario is that its just lost radio contact and had to make an emergency landing somwhere.

[Axiom]

If it was flying from Brazil to France, then its path was most probably over the Bermuda Triangle. If it was though, it meant they were going the long way round, heading north up towards Cuba and then proceeding east to France.

[ILoveTRW]

Every plane vanishes from radar when it crashes there nothing abnormal about it

[John.]

Air France say they know Nothing!

[monkeyking87]

The Brazilian coast guard has apparently sent a huge sea search force out

It dissapeared at 8am French time 7am GMT with 231 passengers aboard and 12 crew.

[John.]

Originally posted by Axiom
If it was flying from Brazil to France, then its path was most probably over the Bermuda Triangle. If it was though, it meant they were going the long way round, heading north up towards Cuba and then proceeding east to France.

nope it goes across the atlantic, then up over the african coast and over spain!

[Axiom]

Originally posted by JD.
Originally posted by Axiom
If it was flying from Brazil to France, then its path was most probably over the Bermuda Triangle. If it was though, it meant they were going the long way round, heading north up towards Cuba and then proceeding east to France.

nope it goes across the atlantic, then up over the african coast and over spain!

You sure of this? It's also strange that Air France aren't answering calls.

[ILoveTRW]

Originally posted by JD.
Originally posted by Axiom
If it was flying from Brazil to France, then its path was most probably over the Bermuda Triangle. If it was though, it meant they were going the long way round, heading north up towards Cuba and then proceeding east to France.

nope it goes across the atlantic, then up over the african coast and over spain!

planes don't travel straight across a map they go up and around

[John.]

It's also strange that Air France aren't answering calls.

They're umm sort of busy dealing with a missing plane!

[Axiom]

Originally posted by ILoveMoney
planes don't travel straight across a map they go up and around

This.

Also, I think that there's at least one customer services desk at Air France who can deal with phonecalls. This situation is very weird.

[ILoveTRW]

Originally posted by Axiom
This situation is very weird.

This situation is not weird at all. When ever a crashes this is what happens

[John.]

Originally posted by Axiom
Originally posted by ILoveMoney
planes don't travel straight across a map they go up and around

This.

Also, I think that there's at least one customer services desk at Air France who can deal with phonecalls. This situation is very weird.


they're in the process of setting up a crisis centre. Phone numbers will be out soon! why are you so worried?

[MR.K!]

Originally posted by Axiom
planes don't travel straight across a map they go up and around

Exactly. When i went to america we flew up over Iceland and Canada, then down into the USA, not straight across the atlantic.

[Axiom]

Originally posted by JD.
Originally posted by Axiom
Originally posted by ILoveMoney
planes don't travel straight across a map they go up and around

This.

Also, I think that there's at least one customer services desk at Air France who can deal with phonecalls. This situation is very weird.


they're in the process of setting up a crisis centre. Phone numbers will be out soon! why are you so worried?

I'm not worried, I just think it's strange that a plane should suddenly disappear of radars quickly and without a trace. And with the Bermuda Triangle in close proximity.

[ILoveTRW]

Originally posted by MR.K!
Originally posted by Axiom
planes don't travel straight across a map they go up and around

Exactly. When i went to america we flew up over Iceland and Canada, then down into the USA, not straight across the atlantic.

I posted that and not Axiom lol, and yes when I went to Australia i travelled over Russia

[lily.]

Crisis Centre phone lines should be up immediately. People need reassurance, and a place to call.

[John.]

http://i44.tinypic.com/166dwna.jpg

the orange line is the flight path. remember, we fly across the Atlantic because we're further north. planes go the quickest way they can. and that way was the orange line!


The red triangle is the Bermuda triangle. it went nowhere near.

[Lauren]

It cam down just off the Brazilian coast, so it's not the Bermuda.

[Captain.Remy]

From the official authorities in Paris, there is no hope to find the plane at this point. :shocked:

[lily.]

This is horrible for the families of all those people.

[monkeyking87]

Will we find out what happened though? This is blooming fascinating!

[John.]

the plane would have run out of fuel by now!

[John.]

http://i40.tinypic.com/2jg2m2h.jpg

[Axiom]

Originally posted by Captain.Remy
From the official authorities in Paris, there is no hope to find the plane at this point. :shocked:

They must know something that's going on. I think there's more to this than they're letting on

[Captain.Remy]

The plane should have had landed in Paris 2 hours ago. From the official weather specialists, there's been some trouble in the highs near the Equator hence it could explain why it disappeared from the radar but it doesn't explain why it didn't land in Paris.

[John.]

Originally posted by Axiom
They must know something that's going on. I think there's more to this than they're letting on

ohh axiom. come on... the plane has either ditched or crashed. it has now run out of fuel. planes disappear. AIRFRANCE DO NOT KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON! just like us.

[Lauren]

Can someone who knows something about planes answer this.
The French officials saying it would've run out of fuel by now...

What? Surely they didn't think it was still flying? Otherwise why didn't it land?

[John.]

if they had successfully ditched, then we would have been getting emergency signals by now!

[John.]

Originally posted by Lauren
Can someone who knows something about planes answer this.
The French officials saying it would've run out of fuel by now...

What? Surely they didn't think it was still flying? Otherwise why didn't it land?

no they don't think it is still flying, they're ruling out the fact that it is! by saying there is no fuel left!

[Axiom]

Originally posted by JD.
Originally posted by Axiom
They must know something that's going on. I think there's more to this than they're letting on

ohh axiom. come on... the plane has either ditched or crashed. it has now run out of fuel. planes disappear. AIRFRANCE DO NOT KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON! just like us.

Jesus calm down lmao, I'm only trying to speculate like everybody else. And I reckon they know more than us....obviously.

[Lauren]

If it had unsuccessfully ditched, or simply lost control in highs across the equator... why wasn't a distress signal sent? Or any sort of signal?

[Captain.Remy]

Message original : Lauren
Can someone who knows something about planes answer this.
The French officials saying it would've run out of fuel by now...

What? Surely they didn't think it was still flying? Otherwise why didn't it land?

I know a bit about the planes (shipping and aviation degree :hugesmile:).
The fuel put in the plane is previously determined by the kilometres and the time it is supposed to make + a bit more of time in case of any emergency.

However, 2 hours is way too long hence now there are no hopes left.
If the plane did land in Africa or in some islands, Air France would have been informed by now which isn't the case. It just cannot be a fuel problem since it was determined before the flight.

[John.]

if they knew more than we do, then we would know too.


they wouldn't risk not telling people. they could get in alot of trouble for not telling the whole truth!

[ILoveTRW]

ILoveMoney's Theory

TERRORIST ATTACK ie exploding drink bottles

[MR.K!]

On Sky News and BBC News, experts have been saying that it is extremely unlikley that the plane has ditched (crashed) because when it vanished it was over 30,000 feet, they also say that double engine faliure is extremely unlikley because this plane model is new and one of the most reliable in the world.
They believe it was a more 'catastrophic incident' than a mere ditch or engine failure (possibly a bomb)

[John.]

Originally posted by ILoveMoney
ILoveMoney's Theory

TERRORIST ATTACK ie exploding drink bottles


there is a liquid ban on planes now! the whole 100ml thing remember!

detonators and bombs in baggage would have been discovered!

[Captain.Remy]

Message original : MR.K!
On Sky News and BBC News, experts have been saying that it is extremely unlikley that the plane has ditched (crashed) because when it vanished it was over 30,000 feet, they also say that double engine faliure is extremely unlikley because this plane model is new and one of the most reliable in the world.
They believe it was a more 'catastrophic incident' than a ditch.

That plane is one of the most reliable in the world but it also had some problems and crashes like in Toulouse in 2007. It had to be updated many times.
A double engine failure is possible but VERY VERY unlikely.

[John.]

more than likely something went wrong with the plane and it ripped apart.

it takes less than seconds for a plane to rip apart.

[Axiom]

Originally posted by JD.
if they knew more than we do, then we would know too.


they wouldn't risk not telling people. they could get in alot of trouble for not telling the whole truth!

Think about governments...when they want to cover something up, they will, and with crises such as this, they won't release any info to the public until they know what's happened themselves.

[ILoveTRW]

Originally posted by JD.
Originally posted by ILoveMoney
ILoveMoney's Theory

TERRORIST ATTACK ie exploding drink bottles


there is a liquid ban on planes now! the whole 100ml thing remember!

detonators and bombs in baggage would have been discovered!

This is Brazil we are talking about plus those rules have been relaxed

[Captain.Remy]

Message original : Axiom
Originally posted by JD.
if they knew more than we do, then we would know too.


they wouldn't risk not telling people. they could get in alot of trouble for not telling the whole truth!

Think about governments...when they want to cover something up, they will, and with crises such as this, they won't release any info to the public until they know what's happened themselves.

I agree, some people know but now, it's a bit too early to talk about it especially when it's a national day off, it's Whit Monday over there so the government isn't working.

[Lauren]

Originally posted by JD.
if they knew more than we do, then we would know too.


they wouldn't risk not telling people. they could get in alot of trouble for not telling the whole truth!

No offence, but you don't really know the government. I'm not saying they're doing it out of malice, but everything will be filtered from them.

[Captain.Remy]

Message original : ILoveMoney
Originally posted by JD.
Originally posted by ILoveMoney
ILoveMoney's Theory

TERRORIST ATTACK ie exploding drink bottles


there is a liquid ban on planes now! the whole 100ml thing remember!

detonators and bombs in baggage would have been discovered!

This is Brazil we are talking about plus those rules have been relaxed

Actually Brazil and Russia are the most strict about these rules along with the USA (first position for them of course) so there's no way a terrorist attack would have not been discovered.

[John.]

Originally posted by ILoveMoney


This is Brazil we are talking about plus those rules have been relaxed

the 100ml rule hasn't been relaxed. the other week i had to bin an unopened bottle. 500ml. so it hasn't been relaxed!

[MR.K!]

Surely if the plane did have engine faliure it would have enough time to contact the proper authorities before it crashed, wheras if a bomb went off there would be no time as it would be unexpected ?

[Axiom]

Originally posted by MR.K!
Surely if the plane did have engine faliure it would have enough time to contact the proper authorities before it crashed, wheras if a bomb went off there would be no time as it would be unexpected ?

Exactly, they would have at leats had time to call a mayday or something.

[ILoveTRW]

Originally posted by Captain.Remy
Message original : ILoveMoney
Originally posted by JD.
Originally posted by ILoveMoney
ILoveMoney's Theory

TERRORIST ATTACK ie exploding drink bottles


there is a liquid ban on planes now! the whole 100ml thing remember!

detonators and bombs in baggage would have been discovered!

This is Brazil we are talking about plus those rules have been relaxed

Actually Brazil and Russia are the most strict about these rules along with the USA (first position for them of course) so there's no way a terrorist attack would have not been discovered.

IT WAS A TERRORIST ATTACK, I TELL YOU

[monkeyking87]

So it was a bomb then? Why hasnt it been reported instead of just wild theories?

[John.]

Originally posted by monkeyking87
So it was a bomb then? Why hasnt it been reported instead of just wild theories?

because they don;t even know where the plane is!

[MR.K!]

If it was anything other than a terror attack, they would have had enough time to send an sos to air controll in Rio or Paris.

[Captain.Remy]

Message original : Axiom
Originally posted by MR.K!
Surely if the plane did have engine faliure it would have enough time to contact the proper authorities before it crashed, wheras if a bomb went off there would be no time as it would be unexpected ?

Exactly, they would have at leats had time to call a mayday or something.

Even thought it it could have been a transponder problem, they had other ways to communicate with Paris or Rio so something definitely happened. They had also enough time before it crashed.

Now, from some specialists, the lack of communication with the aircraft suggests it was something serious and catastrophic. It can be a terrorist attack or a collision with another plane, but in the last case, another plane would have disappeared.

[MR.K!]

They are also saying it couldnt have been a bird strike like the Hudson crash because, agian the plane was over 30,000ft and birds cant fly that high.

[arista]

Originally posted by MR.K!
Surely if the plane did have engine faliure it would have enough time to contact the proper authorities before it crashed, wheras if a bomb went off there would be no time as it would be unexpected ?


Sometimes there is No time
but to try to control a Plane going down to the water
save the plane - comes first.


I assume it may be under water.

[Lauren]

Originally posted by monkeyking87
So it was a bomb then? Why hasnt it been reported instead of just wild theories?

IF it was a bomb (nothing to suggest it apart from speculation) - the governments would not be releasing details or theories yet. It'd require cross communication from the Brazilian and French authorities, and they wouldn't want to hinder any possible investigation.

[John.]

Originally posted by MR.K!
If it was anything other than a terror attack, they would have had enough time to send an sos to air controll in Rio or Paris.

if there was a decompression then the plane could have been ripped apart in seconds. so terror attack is not the only option!

[Captain.Remy]

Message original : arista
Originally posted by MR.K!
Surely if the plane did have engine faliure it would have enough time to contact the proper authorities before it crashed, wheras if a bomb went off there would be no time as it would be unexpected ?


Sometimes there is No time
but to try to control a Plane going down to the water
save the plane - comes first.


I assume it may be under water.

It's kinda obvious it is by now...yet this is a serious problem because it will take more time to find it.

There is still some time, I've learnt that this year, you do have plenty of means of communications. This is strange to be honest, a plane can't just vanish in the air like that.

[Captain.Remy]

Breaking new from the French government: Just before the plane vanished from the radar, the plane entered in a depression phase. More information later in the afternoon.

[monkeyking87]

So it was ripped apart then

[Lauren]

This must be terrible for the families :sad:

[Captain.Remy]

Message original : monkeyking87
So it was ripped apart then

A depression phase can mean a lot of things. You may get into a depression phase but nothing serious will happen but in this case, it did. Either it blew out, or it crashed or it was ripped apart.

[Lauren]

"Plane sent message it had electrical short-circuit after strong turbulence"

[monkeyking87]

Isnt this one of the first major accidents for Air France? The Air France/KLM group was celebrated as one of the safest airlines in the world due to stingent and intensive security checks?

Well thats why I was told their prices were high due to the general high scale operations of the company in all of its operations.

[Captain.Remy]

Now the French authorities just declared that it's most likely to be an accident than a terrorist attack due to some technical problems.

[MR.K!]

I feel sorry for the families.

[Captain.Remy]

Message original : monkeyking87
Isnt this one of the first major accidents for Air France? The Air France/KLM group was celebrated as one of the safest airlines in the world due to stingent and intensive security checks?

Well thats why I was told their prices were high due to the general high scale operations of the company in all of its operations.

Unfortunately no, French have been quite unlucky about this. 2 years ago in Venezuela and 9 years ago when the Concorde crashed near Paris. But this one is a major one because the circumstances are rather weird.

[MR.K!]

Its early morning in the USA, im just waiting for them to blow it out of complete proportion... lol

[monkeyking87]

lol thats gonna be bloody huge over there but then again they may suprise us and completely ignore it

Who am I kidding? America LOVES plane crashes

[Lauren]

Can go two ways....

a) They speculate big huge TERRORIST ATTACKS, so close to their land!! Aaargh.
b) They don't give a flying feck, it's not on their land, it's not their people.... "France who?"

[Captain.Remy]

Message original : Lauren
Can go two ways....

a) They speculate big huge TERRORIST ATTACKS, so close to their land!! Aaargh.
b) They don't give a flying feck, it's not on their land, it's not their people.... "France who?"

Second option is the most likely. They hate us after the Irak thing. :hugesmile:

[MR.K!]

Originally posted by Lauren
Can go two ways....

a) They speculate big huge TERRORIST ATTACKS, so close to their land!! Aaargh.
b) They don't give a flying feck, it's not on their land, it's not their people.... "France who?"

Probably the first..

Remember when there was the terror attack on Glasgow Airport, and they were like
'ZOMG ALL SIGNS POINT TO US BEING NEXT !!''
*jumps through window*

lol

[MR.K!]

Listen to how dramatic they made it !
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ly14-Xt3oos

[Captain.Remy]

Now it has been made official, the plane has had an electrical problem after getting through a big thunderstorm zone. The authorities received a message at 2:14am (GMT time) indicating there was a problem with the electric devices. It was the last signal from the plane.

[monkeyking87]

Lol @ attack imminent for the UK

FOX = IDIOTS

[ILoveTRW]

France are still yet to have a terrorist attack and surely they are next on osamas list

[Captain.Remy]

Message original : ILoveMoney
France are still yet to have a terrorist attack and surely they are next on osamas list

Yes I'm sure we are next. We have had several threats from the Middle East so it's going to hit us one day.

[MR.K!]

Originally posted by Captain.Remy
Now it has been made official, the plane has had an electrical problem after getting through a big thunderstorm zone. The authorities received a message at 2:14am (GMT time) indicating there was a problem with the electric devices. It was the last signal from the plane.

Thats a shame. Condolances to the families.

[30stone]

Originally posted by Captain.Remy
Now it has been made official, the plane has had an electrical problem after getting through a big thunderstorm zone. The authorities received a message at 2:14am (GMT time) indicating there was a problem with the electric devices. It was the last signal from the plane.

Just saw that on bbc.

[ILoveTRW]

the loose women are having a wonderful time

[Captain.Remy]

It was also said that some bits of the plane have been discovered by the Portuguese coasts. Waiting to be confirmed by the French officials.

[Captain.Remy]

From Air France, the most likely hypothesis is that the plane has been struck by a thunderstorm.

[JOSHUAH!]

Originally posted by MR.K!
Listen to how dramatic they made it !
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ly14-Xt3oos

FOX NEWS is **** and very Republican.

CNN is the best of the American channels I think :)

& about this passanger jet, its really strange and also really bad hearing that Air France are feeling like theres 'no hope' of finding the plane. It seems to me like its just went down in the Atlantic somewhere.

[Captain.Remy]

A full recap of what happened since this morning.

PARIS, France (CNN) -- An Air France plane feared to have crashed in the Atlantic with 228 people aboard reported electrical problems in stormy weather before it lost contact, the airline said Monday, describing the loss as a "catastrophe."
The incident involves an Air France Airbus A330-200.

The Airbus A330-200 sent an automatic message signalling an electric circuit failure as it hit turbulence early in its 11-hour flight from Rio de Janeiro to Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris, Air France CEO Pierre-Henri Gourgeon told a news conference.

The last known contact with the plane was at 1:33 GMT Monday (8:33 p.m. Sunday ET), according to the Brazilian Air Force.

Brazil says it has launched two air force squadrons to hunt near the archipelago of Fernando de Noronha in the Atlantic Ocean, 365 kilometres (226 miles) from its coast, although the plane vanished outside the country's radar coverage.

A statement from the Brazilian Air Force said the jet was last logged flying at an altitude of 35,000 feet before contact was lost. When the plane failed to make further contact, Brazilian air controllers contacted their counterparts in Senegal.

France's ambassador to Senegal told CNN affiliate BFMTV that French military aircraft had been dispatched to search the west African country's coast.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy expressed his "very deep concern" and asked the government "to implement every effort to find the plane," according to a statement from his office.

Agence France-Presse quoted France's Environment Minister Jean Louis Borloo saying that it was extremely unlikely the plane had been hijacked.

Flight AF 447, took off at 2230 GMT Sunday (6 p.m. ET). It was carrying 126 men, 82 women, seven children and a baby, in addition to the crew, Air France said.

"I can say without doubt that this is a catastrophe," Gourgeon said, adding "the entire Air France company and its staff are very moved and affected by this."

There has been speculation it was struck by lightning, but that should not bring down a modern airliner, former Airbus pilot John Wiley told CNN.

Some members of the families could be seen entering a special terminal set aside for them at Charles de Gaulle airport.

A crisis centre was being set up at at the airport to deal with anxious relatives and friends waiting for news of passengers. Air France has also set up a hotline: 0800 800 812 in France, or +33 157021055 for international callers.

Airbus has opened a crisis room and their flight safety team is in place, a company spokesperson told CNN. Airbus is working closely with authorities and Air France, he said, declining to comment further.

Gourgeon said the aircraft involved was a new Airbus piloted by a "particularly experienced crew."

Analyst Kieran Daly of online aviation news service Air Transport Intelligence told CNN that the lack of communication with the aircraft "does suggest it was something serious and catastrophic."

He said the aircraft involved is believed to be one delivered to Air France in April 2005.

"It is an extremely young fleet by aviation standards," he said. "The A330 is state-of-the-art with extremely reliable engines made by General Electric."

CNN air travel expert Richard Quest says the twin-engined plane, a stalwart of trans-Atlantic routes, has an impeccable safety record.

"It has very good range, and is extremely popular with airlines because of its versatility," he said.

Source (http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/americas/06/01/air.france.brazil/index.html)

[MrGaryy]

god that must be so awful for the families involved. I mean to have no trace of where they're loved ones are.

[Axiom]

Apparently, the plane is not underwater because a relative of a man on board phoned his mobile phone, and it rings, so they must be above water.

[arista]

Originally posted by Captain.Remy
Nobody knows where they are. Also, the Air France headquarters don't answer calls from the public which is weird. Either they know what's going on or they don't answer in case to make a big panic.

But this is scary.



They have to search underwater.
It takes time to get the correct info.

It is Not Scary.

[John.]

They have found debris in the middle of the Atlantic.

Brazilian aircraft searching for an Air France jet which went missing with 228 people aboard in an Atlantic storm have spotted debris on the ocean.
Some oil, a plane seat and other items were sighted 650km (400 miles) north-east of Brazil's Fernando de Noronha island, the Brazilian air force said.
The find can only be confirmed once the items are retrieved and the first boat is not due to arrive until Wednesday.
The jet was heading from Brazil to Paris when it vanished early on Monday.
See a map of the plane's route

It [the plane] might have tried to make a turn, maybe to return to Fernando de Noronha
Col Jorge Amaral
Brazilian air force spokesman

Passenger nationalities revealed
In pictures: Waiting for news
Mystery of Air France flight
Air force spokesman Col Jorge Amaral said the debris had been spotted by search planes early on Tuesday.
"At approximately 0530 Brazilian time [0830 GMT], a C-130 military aircraft spotted some debris in two locations approximately 60km apart from each other," he said.
"In this area, they saw an orange buoy, an airplane seat, small white pieces, an airplane turbine as well as oil and kerosene.
"The search is continuing because it's very little material in relation to the size [of the Airbus A330]."
Officials, he said, needed "a piece that might have a serial number, some sort of identification" to be sure it came from the missing jet.

Brazilian air force's Col Jorge Amaral confirming the sighting - translated

French Defence Minister Herve Morin has stressed there is still "no evidence whatsoever" as to the cause of the plane's loss
"We cannot, by definition, exclude a terrorist attack, because terrorism is the main threat for all Western democracies," he added.
'Life jacket'
Plane crews from Brazil, France and other countries had narrowed their search to a zone half-way between Brazil and west Africa, hoping to pick up signals from the Airbus's beacons.

TIMELINE

Flight AF 447 left Rio at 1900 local time (2200 GMT) on Sunday
Airbus A330-200 carrying 216 passengers and 12 crew
Contact lost 0130 GMT
Missed scheduled landing at 1110 local time (0910 GMT) in Paris

Timeline of Flight AF 447
Air disasters timeline
Col Amaral was also quoted by the Associated Press as saying a life jacket had been spotted amid the debris.
"The locations where the objects were found are towards the right of the point where the last signal of the plane was emitted," he told reporters in Rio.
"That suggests that it might have tried to make a turn, maybe to return to Fernando de Noronha, but that is just a hypothesis."
Searchers now planned to focus their efforts on collecting the debris and trying to identify it, he said.
A French search plane flying out of Senegal on Monday was hindered by stormy conditions over the ocean.
Spanish and Senegalese aircraft have also been involved in the search effort.
Electrical failures
In his last radio message, at about 0200 GMT on Monday, the captain of Flight AF 447 reported entering turbulence, French media say.

Irish doctor Aisling Butler, 26, was flying back with two friends
Up to a dozen reports of electrical failures were sent automatically from the plane before it vanished over the ocean just after.
Most of the missing people are Brazilian or French but they include a total of 32 nationalities. Five Britons and three Irish citizens are among them.
Crisis centres have been set up at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris and Rio's Tom Jobim international airport.
One of the Brazilians on board was Pedro Luis de Orleans e Braganca, a direct descendent of the last Brazilian emperor, Dom Pedro II, a spokesman for the family said.
Three young Irish doctors were also aboard, returning from two-week holiday in Brazil. Aisling Butler's father John paid tribute to his 26-year-old daughter, from Roscrea, County Tipperary.
"She was a truly wonderful, exciting girl," he was quoted as saying by the Associated Press.
"She never flunked an exam in her life - nailed every one of them - and took it all in her stride."
http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/45858000/gif/_45858099_plane_crash_weather2_466.gif

[*mazedsalv**]

I have a phobia of planes so this happening would be the worst thing to happen to me, I dont think it could get any worse. Just the panic and everything and being so high up. Absoloutley horrific.

[John.]

Last time I was on a plane it went on fire.

and I've just changed my flights from Southampton to Glasgow, so no doubt, I'm either really lucky and the flight i was on will crash, or unlucky and the plane I'm now going on will crash!

[*mazedsalv**]

Did the plane pass through the Bermuda Triangle?
Where is the triangle anyway? And ive never got what it actually was, is it a small island where things happen or is it a large piece of ocean that causes bad things to happen??

Because i heard that planes vanish when they go passed it, do planes pass it often because i havnt heard much about this and the dissaperance of planes recently??

Sorry if i sound very dumb when it comes to this.

[Harry!]

Deleted spam

Loser

[arista]

In Bad Weather
you should not fly that Zone.



Life In The Fast Lane.