-- AccuWeather.com reports after extensive research into the weather that may have affected the Air France Airbus A330 on Sunday evening, it is believed that the plane flew into thunderstorms, and the updrafts or turbulence associated with those storms in addition to lightning may have played a role.
The projected flight path of flight 447 took the aircraft near Sao Luis, Brazil, where it may have first encountered a thunderstorm. Later in the flight, the plane appears to have flown into or near a large cluster thunderstorms that were in the development stages northeast of Fernando De Noronha, which is located off Brazil's northern coast, and along the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), the belt of low pressure that surrounds the Earth at the equator.
Based on weather information from Fernando De Noronha, the updrafts associated with the thunderstorms may have reached up to 100 mph.. Such an updraft would lead to severe turbulence for any aircraft. In addition, the storms were towering up to 50,000 feet and would have been producing lightning. The Air France plane would have encountered these stormy conditions, which could have resulted in either some structural failure or electrical failure as noted in the communications between the Airplane and Air France headquarters.
Based on satellite information, the Air France flight had little chance of going around the storms given that they stretched for over 400 miles and were developing along the flight path. The airplane was flying at cruising altitude of 35,000 feet. With the updrafts pushing the storms up to 50,000 feet, the plane had to fly through the storms and not over them.
Despite the presence of the storms Sunday evening, the only lightning detected along the flight path was near Sao Luis, Brazil. Lightning strikes were not being detected with the storms northeast of Fernando De Noronha and along the ITCZ at the time.
According to Brazilian aviation officials, wreckage that has been found in the Atlantic Ocean about 400 miles off the northern coast of Brazil could be from the Air France aircraft. The debris sighted includes metallic objects and plane seats. This wreckage still hasn't been confirmed as being part of the Air France jet.
Tropical thunderstorms and the lightning patterns generated by them are different from storms that typically occur over the United States. Studies have shown that the top region of tropical thunderstorms is highly charged and more conducive to lightning, which indicates that an airplane flying near the top of a tropical thunderstorm could be more susceptible to a lightning strike. Tropical thunderstorms are also notorious for producing frequent cloud-to-cloud, as well as cloud-to-air lightning.
Story by AccuWeather.com Meteorologists Heather Buchman, Kristina Pydynowski and Henry Margusity, and AccuWeather.com News Correspondent Gina Cherundolo
(press release)
Bayoubuzz Note: The airplane incident appears to has resulted in the loss of a Lafayette Louisiana native.
The Latest:::the plane did not break-apart until "impact"...total opposite of former reports.... hmm. Written by KjunLady
on 7/3/2009
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"I am not convinced that the sensors are the cause of the accident," said Air France Chief Executive Pierre-Henri Gourgeon......... " Terrorism has not been ruled out as a possible cause of the crash. Written by KjunLady
on 6/11/2009
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"Wild conjecture" - oh no, I'm getting much too old for that kind of thing.... Written by kpf
on 6/7/2009
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"Now it appears that an airspeed indicator may not have been changed out and could have caused the pilot to stall during a turn or a climb.".... that's just a guess--- the twentieth one... "I don't know about you folks but flying definitely increases my 'pucker factor.' ".... I hear ya..... we haven't heard anything credible yet...just wild conjecture. Written by KjunLady
on 6/7/2009
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The ocean near the crash is very deep and rugged - the black box may never be found. Although I harp on fiscal responsibility I do think money should be spent when safety would otherwise be compromised. My original post put forth the idea that airlines save on fuel and so oftentimes the aircraft may not have fuel to fly around a large storm. Now it appears that an airspeed indicator may not have been changed out and could have caused the pilot to stall during a turn or a climb. I don't know about you folks but flying definitely increases my "pucker factor." Written by kpf
on 6/7/2009
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mystery solved-- now-- waiting for the black box. Written by KjunLady
on 6/6/2009
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btw, I made-that-up about FOX.... One more question::: Why isn't there any floating debris?... Life-jackets don't sink, seat-cushions float..........( I heard one Cable-News station saying, "if the AirFrance crash had been torrorist-related, it would've foiled the President's trip to Saudi Arabia." Written by KjunLady
on 6/6/2009
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Nah, the slick was not JP-8 they already figured that one out..... Fly by wire technology, some pretty tricky stuff and those A 330's, go figure... Only the french would call a jet aircraft an "Airbus"..... Anyways, there is no telling what happened... Unless they get the information from the flight recorder nothing is a certainty except for this.... By now, at almost 4 mile depths and considering the currents the wreckage and bits and pieces are probably strewn over several hundred square miles of ocean floor...... And why the absence of flotsam etc.? Like I told you, those seas boil and churn at times, now they are speculating that perhaps a water funnel formed at the oceans surface and reached the aircraft and the water froze... Causing a system malfunction, again, fly by wire, you gotta luv it...... It is very useful for our B-2 Stealth bomber though, which is merely a hi tech version of Northrops flying wing back from back in the 40's and the only way the B-2 can really fly is because of all the computerized calculations and adjustments that allow a flight angle to exist for the aircraft...... Sorry for the folks that went down, but I am not paying it any attention, I am more concerned with our falling national standards than I am on those other kinds of distractions...... Seems we have a bunch of dumb clucks running the hen house these days....... Take care.... Written by
on 6/6/2009
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"Hey, did you see where they are saying they found no wreckage of the flight, and the 'slick' wasn't from the A 330?"...... <vbg>...... uh, no--- just that no wreckage has been found yet....and, a French ship with an un-manned submarine onboard is enroute to the fuel-slick site to search 3 miles below. The newest outlandish story from the press is that "maybe" the "speed instruments" went haywire- and the plane may have been travelling too fast or too slow in a storm....... French also stated, "We are ruling nothing out."............ in the first 24 hrs I had to search for information.... Now- it's the headlines of every newscast...WB, did you hear FOX say that it was a bomb- but not involving a terrorist group, an individual, maybe? Written by KjunLady
on 6/5/2009
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The fact that I didn't listen to Obama's speech while he was kissing ass overseas pretty much is a testiment to my lack of A.D.D..... I am paying attention, believe me, and there are no dificiencies in my analysis proceedures.... Hey, did you see where they are saying they found no wreckage of the flight, and the 'slick' wasn't from the A 330? Yeah, that fly by wire technology, it can be some pretty whimsical stuff..... Written by
on 6/5/2009
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WB, my dear- I think you have A.D.D. Written by KjunLady
on 6/4/2009
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Well I suppose then that the aircraft just happened to be flying in the opposite or same direction as the surface current flow and the wind direction…… Not even going to get into the needle in the haystack scenario of finding a plane almost 4 miles below the surface… And again, currents….. Even though it is only four miles to the bottom, that plane could end up 200 miles away from where it impacted…. Oh, and I am also somewhat of an ‘expert’ at undersea salvage, subsea conditions…. So give that a rest too…. Oh, and as far as the fuel trail not breaking up? You don’t have much experience out on the ocean, when there is a huge storm, or wutever, there are usually waves… They could have been 20 to 30 footers out there for all you know…. Chopping, churning, frothing, boiling ocean mixing, mashing, washing away all that touches it surface… Again, you have no basis for what you claim as what happened….. And I am sure you don’t remember a plane exploding form lightning, but again Kl, >>>In 1963, a Pan Am Boeing 707, on a flight from Baltimore to Philadelphia, crashed near Elkton, Md., after being struck by lightning. All 81 people on board died. The probable cause was listed as "lightning-induced ignition of the fuel/air mixture in the no. 1 reserve fuel tank with resultant explosive disintegration of the left outer wing and loss of control."………………<<<<<< And the facts of the matters are, sometimes planes explode when they come in contact with lightning, and sometimes Muslims cut off Christians heads when they come in contact…. So wuts the point????? Oh, almost forgot, and sometimes Nazis rise to power when the conditions are right.... So I guess we have to be a little more careful these days so that the worst does not become the norm.... Written by
on 6/4/2009
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Good morning back-at-cha. I saw a transcript of his speech. Very impressive and I agree with him completely. However peace is a two way street. Neville Chamberlain also spoke well and assured his fellow Britains that he and "Mr. Hitler" brought about "peace in our time." I'm not being negative, President Obama is doing his part. Hopefully he will be as adept at being Commander-in-Chief - if that is what is needed - as he is at attempting to reach accord with the Muslim world. Written by kpf
on 6/4/2009
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G'morning, KPF..... we may never have the answers... I don't ever remember a commercial airplane exploding in the sky from lightning. I'm just saying... it leaves a LOT of questions-- right?........ On another matter- Did you watch and hear Obama's speech in Saudi Arabia early this morning, by any chance?............Wataguy. Written by KjunLady
on 6/4/2009
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"Why would a pilot fly into a storm" - simple, if his onboard fuel does not allow him the luxury of flying around the storm, there is no choice but to fly through it. This is more likely on long over water flights than if the aircraft were over land near alternative landing sites. He (or she) may not WANT to fly through a thunderstorm, but often times there simply is no other choice. Written by kpf
on 6/4/2009
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Somthing to sleep on, WB..... only the "angle" of a fuel-trail might shift-- but, it would not break up, and it's original position could be calculated..... (I don't make this stuff up, Mr.Smith).... Knowing the airplane was headed back to Sth.America was this morning's latest information. (and how did officials know this?.. from the line of fuel on the ocean--leading up to the site of debris... And, of course there was fuel spilling before the pieces impacted.)...You said, "good lord Kl, you can get out of hand sometimes can't you? "... Who me?.. GET OUTTA HAND?!.. WHAT DO YOU MEAN!!!??!!...<looking for projectable objects> Written by KjunLady
on 6/3/2009
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WB, you did well on your research-- ..... so- on that subject, I concede... however, commercial flights, and pilots with the good sense that God gave them--- avoid storms..... So, I ask again-- why would the pilot fly into a storm?...The distinct fuel-path shows the "direction" in which the plane was "flying"-- not which direction the water is flowing or the wind is blowing.........(Now, Mr. Bragadocious, ante up on my wager about who has more airborne hours logged... and not just commercial.....and be ready to prove it.) Written by KjunLady
on 6/3/2009
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SANTIAGO, Chile (June 2) - Police say two suitcases carried by a woman who was about to fly from Chile to Spain were made of cocaine. Detective Leandro Morales at the Santiago airport says the drug "was not hidden in the luggage. This time the suitcases were the drug." Morales tells The Associated Press that the suitcases were made of a substance combining cocaine with resin and glass fiber............ He said Tuesday a "chemical process" could be used to separate out the drug............The officer says the suitcases were heavier than their contents..............The 26-year-old Argentine woman was arrested............... Hey Kl, this might help explain the missing plane, perhaps it wasn't an A 330 after all but was a jet airliner made out of cocaine and it dissolved when it was hit by rain water while passing through the storm hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm????? Written by
on 6/3/2009
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Ah Kp, you wrap me up in stitches.......... nayuck-nuck-nuck-nuck-nuck... Hey! all of a sudden word perfect comes up on the screen as I type,,,, NIFTY!!!!! nOW i no my sphulling is goods.............. Oh, oh, a notice came up that the information I am sending is over a non encrypted connection and it could be read by a third party!!!! Oh is there no respect for privacy anywhere in this woild???????? Written by
on 6/3/2009
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HA! That was a "trick question." The smoke doesn't blow, it drifts. The wind blows. (uh-uh, don't go there....). Written by kpf
on 6/3/2009
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And a fuel trail 'before' the crash? Hey if an electric train is traveling west at 80 m.p.h. but there is an easterly wind blowing at 45 m.p.h., which way does the smoke blow that is coming out of the locomotives smokestack???? Written by
on 6/3/2009
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Oh good lord Kl, you can get out of hand sometimes can't you? The direction of the fuel trail has nothing to do with the direction of the aircraft before, during or after, it is entirely dependent upon the direction of the current, and the direction of the wind..... But yes, I am pretty sure something went wrong and yes the pilot probably tried to turn the ship around to reach safety...... Sheeesh, you are getting about as touchy and testy as t-blub and his blubberings..... Oh, I forgot, I shouldn't talk about other people should I? It is like politically incorrect or some lame thing like that.... Written by
on 6/3/2009
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Yes, KPF, there was an Air France bomb threat days before the crash.... On May 27, Flt.#415 departing from Argentina.. the plane was checked and took-off safely...... FYI, Mr."Aviation-expert-Smith," --- the "direction" of the fuel trail before the crash, shows the plane had turned around- and was headed BACK ....get it?... Now- as to "who" has the most airborne hours logged, (let's wager cash this time)- you're gonna lose BIG TIME. Written by KjunLady
on 6/3/2009
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I did hear there was a bomb scare a day or two before concerning the same airline. Perhps there was sabotage. Then again wind can be very powerful, and could - I would think - cause a loss of control of an aircrft under certain circumstances. Written by kpf
on 6/3/2009
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And as an addtional thought, you must not fly very often Kl, I can't count the thunderstorms I have flown through, or the blizzards covering the taramac and runway that I have landed on.... Yeah, flying can be sort of interesting at times... Written by
on 6/3/2009
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Here is some cut and paste info for you Kl because I feel too lazy to write it myself……………………. Hey, when in Rome do as the Romans do eh????........ After all, this is the buzzy bored manned by all the buzzy bored staff members…………………. (Gotta luv Rueters, UPI, and Ap postings)…………… Anyways………………. Lightning hitting airplanes is commonplace and, though lightning has downed several commercial aircraft, it rarely leads to catastrophe thanks to modern protection systems……………. Each commercial airplane is struck by lightning approximately once a year on average, according to Lightning Technologies, a Pittsfield, Mass., company that designs lightning-protection systems for aircraft. Not only are aircraft struck by lightning, but in fact they cause their own lightning, NASA research found, when they fly through heavily charged areas of clouds…………………. In 1963, a Pan Am Boeing 707, on a flight from Baltimore to Philadelphia, crashed near Elkton, Md., after being struck by lightning. All 81 people on board died. The probable cause was listed as "lightning-induced ignition of the fuel/air mixture in the no. 1 reserve fuel tank with resultant explosive disintegration of the left outer wing and loss of control."……………… In 1967, 23 people died when a Lockheed jet flown by the Imperial Iranian Air Force was brought down by lightning………….. In 1971, 91 people died when a Lansa flight crashed in Peru after a lightning strike caused a fire and separation of the right wing………………….. In 1988, in Germany, a Swearingen Metro aircraft lost its wing after being struck by lightning, and 21 on board died……………….. A close call came just this March 13, when an American Airlines flight from Dallas to Houston was struck by lightning, putting a hole in the left side of the fuselage, according to FAA records. The plane landed safely. Written by
on 6/3/2009
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Uhh, Kl, the A 330 depends on fly by wire technology for its avionics to function…. Best guess is electronic component failure and the pilots couldn’t keep the ship in the air and they were hoping they could make it back to an airport….. The fuel slick? Uhhhhhhh 4,000 miles to their destination, soooooooooooooooo, HOPEFULLY THEY HAD FULL FUEL TANKS, and……………. When the ship hit the sea the fuselage obviously broke up (Got to figure it sunk unlike the Boeing that hit the Hudson a few months back which floated because it didn’t break up on impact), fuel tanks ruptured, jet fuel or JP-8 weighs around 6 pounds per gallon, salt water weighs around 10 pounds per gallon in the Atlantic Ocean, the Great Salt lake in Utah? It weighs even more, anyways, JP-8 weighs less than NaCl + H2O (basic composition of saltwater) so it would be reasonable to assume that it floats….. Hence the “jet fuel slick” that is miles long and many hundreds of feet wide out in the middle of the deep blue….. End of story and the unfortunate passengers now sleep with the fish….. I guess they simply picked the wrong flight number... Ehhhhh, such can be one of the fickled whims of fate.... Written by
on 6/3/2009
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"peehaps".......don't even... I meant "perhaps" Written by KjunLady
on 6/3/2009
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You really believe that lightning and bad weather brought that plane down, WB?.... Maybe it wsn't terrorism--- but, something ELSE caused that pilot to turn around and head back, there's a trail of fuel on the ocean surface showing this...Something ELSE happened-- .... peehaps, something sudden, that excluded communication .... Will we ever know? Written by KjunLady
on 6/3/2009
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Yeah, here we go with the sensationalism blah - blah - blah....... I think it was Tribbels that caused the A 330 to fall out of the sky..... You know the trouble those Tribbles can cause.... Beam me up Scotty, there are a bunch of Kling-on's hanging around down here..... Written by
on 6/3/2009
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"it is believed that the plane flew into thunderstorms" A pilot would not deliberately fly into thunderstorms. " an airplane flying near the top of a tropical thunderstorm could be more susceptible to a lightning strike"....C'mon- when's the last time a commercial jet dropped out of the sky due to lightning... few would fly if this was a clear risk....and what about sabotage? I can't believe there aren't several terrorist groups claiming responsibility. Written by KjunLady
on 6/3/2009
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Safe, quick or cheap - pick two. Instead of buring more fuel and charging higher prices for tickets to enable planes to fly around bad weather, airlines choose "quick and cheap"............... sometimes that doesn't work out too well. Written by scary actually ... the chances we take
on 6/2/2009
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Thanks for the 2 or 3 day old news...... Written by
on 6/2/2009
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