Latest update on Air France Flight 447 crash by BEA

The flight disappeared off the radar about 1,500km from Brazil. The mystery surrounding the crash was amplified by numerous conflicting reports.

The investigators now believe the aircraft did not break apart mid air but thumped into the Ocean in a flying position, with the belly hitting the water first.

The search and recovery operation have led to 51 bodies being recovered and over 600 pieces of wreckage being retrieved from the Ocean.

In the first major report provided by the investigators, the BEA made the following observations form analysing the gathered materials and information .

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• Visual examination showed that the airplane was not destroyed in flight ; it appears to have struck the surface of the sea in a straight line with high vertical acceleration,
• the first bodies and airplane parts were found on 6 June,
• the elements identified came from all areas of the airplane,
• the Air France flight 447 crew possessed the licenses and ratings required to undertake the flight,
• the airplane [an Airbus A330] possessed a valid Certificate of Airworthiness, and had been maintained in accordance with the regulations,
• the airplane had taken off from Rio de Janeiro without any known technical problems, except on one of the three radio handling panels,
• no problems were indicated by the crew to Air France or during contacts with the Brazilian controllers,