tagged w/ air france
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French actor Gerard Depardieu apparently got pissed off when a flight attendant refused to let him go to the bathroom while his flight was waiting to take off. So, either unwilling or unable to wait, he decided to piss ON the carpet right instead -- right there in the cabin in front of all the passengers.French actor Gerard Depardieu apparently got pissed off when a flight attendant... more
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Video at the link (click the pic)
The Air France jet which crashed into the Atlantic in 2009 fell for three and a half minutes before hitting the ocean, French investigators have said.
The investigators say the crew had struggled with contradictory speed readings before the plane stalled and fell.
All 228 people on board were killed in the disaster, which is only now being pieced together following the recovery of the plane's flight data recorders.Video at the link (click the pic)
The Air France jet which crashed into the... more
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pdy
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added this
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9 months ago
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CNN Breaking News...
The memory unit that may tell why an Air France jet plunged into the Atlantic nearly two years ago was recovered from the bottom of the ocean Sunday, France's Bureau of Investigation and Analysis said.
Martine Del Bono, a spokeswoman for the Paris-based BEA, says there is a good chance the memory unit, which records any instructions sent to the aircraft's electronic systems, will still hold retrievable data.
The Airbus A330 plunged into the Atlantic Ocean on June 1, 2009, killing aall 228 people aboard.CNN Breaking News...
The memory unit that may tell why an Air France jet plunged... more
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An Air France Airbus A380-800 clips a Comair Bombardier CRJ-700 at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport.
Ce la vie, non?An Air France Airbus A380-800 clips a Comair Bombardier CRJ-700 at New York's... more
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Search finds bodies 2 years after mystery crash
From Niki Cook, CNN
April 4, 2011 3:04 p.m. EDT
Click on photo to play
Air France bodies recovered years later
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
NEW: Submarines spot engines, the fuselage and landing gear
The data recorders have not been found, so "it's still a jigsaw puzzle," an investigator says
The bodies will be brought to the surface and identified, a French official says
The plane went down while flying from Brazil to France in 2009
Paris (CNN) -- Nearly two years after an Air France plane mysteriously fell out of the sky, killing 228 people, the bulk of the wreckage has been found with bodies still aboard, French officials said Monday.
The human remains will be brought to the surface and identified, French Ecology and Transportation Minister Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet said at a news conference.
Submarines searching for the wreck spotted two engines, the fuselage and landing gear over the weekend, officials said.
But the flight data recorders have not been recovered, leaving investigators as puzzled as ever about why the plane crashed in stormy weather on June 1, 2009.
"It's still a jigsaw puzzle," said Alain Bouillard, who will be in charge of the recovery operation. "We do not know where the recorders might be."
Kosciusko-Morizet said she was hopeful the flight data recorder, sometimes called the black box, would be found.
"The fact that we found various pieces, a lot of pieces of the plane in a quite concentrated area is a good hope for finding the black boxes, but we have no assurance," she said.
It is impossible to tell how many bodies remain in the wreck, he added. Fifty bodies were recovered in previous searches, leaving 178 victims still missing.
He would not comment on the condition of the bodies, calling it "inappropriate" to discuss.
The debris is dispersed over "quite a compact area" of about 600 meters by 200 meters (1,960 feet by about 650 feet), he said.
All the wreckage will be brought to the surface and sent to France for study, said Jean-Paul Troadec, head of the French air accident investigation agency, the Bureau d'Enquêtes et d'Analyses, or BEA.
"We want to know what happened in this accident, most particularly so it never happens again," he said.
Three companies bidding to raise the wreck have until Thursday afternoon to submit proposals, he said.
The operation should take three weeks to a month, and will be paid for by the French government at an estimated cost of 5 million euros ($7.1 million), he said.
Authorities are not revealing the exact location of the wreck to protect the site, officials said.
The head of Air France said the discovery was "good news indeed since it gives hope that information on the causes of the accident, so far unresolved, will be found."
Air France's Pierre-Henri Gourgeon added his thanks to the French authorities "who employed hitherto unheard of means to pursue searches."
Investigators announced Sunday that they had found pieces of the Airbus A330-200 that disappeared while flying to Paris from Rio de Janeiro.
After three unsuccessful searches, investigators discovered the wreckage by using "a different calculation based on currents of the sea and what might have happened," Troadec, the BEA chief, said Monday.
The BEA said Sunday that a team led by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution discovered parts during an underwater search operation conducted within the previous 24 hours.
Studies of the debris and bodies found after the crash led the BEA to conclude the plane hit the water belly first, essentially intact. Oxygen masks were not deployed, indicating that the cabin did not depressurize, the agency said in a 2009 report.
Automated messages sent from the plane in the minutes before the crash showed there were problems measuring air speed, investigators have said, though they said that alone was not enough to cause the disaster.
The area where the plane went down is far out in the Atlantic -- two to four days for ships to reach from the nearest ports in Brazil or Senegal in West Africa. The underwater terrain is rough, with underwater mountains and valleys, the BEA has said.Search finds bodies 2 years after mystery crash
From Niki Cook, CNN
April 4, 2011... more
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The bodies of some of the 228 victims of the worst air crash in Air France’s history have been found nearly 4 kilometers below the Atlantic Ocean.
Eerie images of the underwater tomb, which includes British and Irish victims, have been taken by submarines equipped with robot-controlled cameras.
As investigators released some of the images in Paris, they said they also showed the "vast majority" of the Airbus A330-203 had also been discovered, including its engines.
This raises renewed hope that the black box flight recorders can be retrieved, so helping to explain why Flight AF 447 crashed en route from Rio de Janeiro to Paris on June 1, 2009.
The £8million search is being financed jointly by Air France and Airbus, who are both at the centre of a criminal enquiry into the disaster, and face manslaughter charges.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1373189/Victims-Air-France-flight-447-Atlantic-year-mystery.html#ixzz1IZZrfLw4The bodies of some of the 228 victims of the worst air crash in Air France’s... more
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The Air France plane that crashed last month with 228 people aboard "did not break up or become destroyed in flight," the French air investigation agency announced Thursday.
"The plane went straight down ... towards the surface of the water, very very fast," air accident investigator Alain Bouillard said.
Based on visual study of the physical remains of the Airbus A330 that have been recovered, "we were able to see that the plane hit the surface of the water flat. Therefore everything was pushed upwards -- everthing was pushed from the bottom to the top" of the plane, he said.
The 228 people killed in the crash "had no time to prepare," he said.
(Full article at link)The Air France plane that crashed last month with 228 people aboard "did not... more
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islek
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2 years ago
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Another Airbus plane has crashed, less than one month after the horrible AirFrance crash in the Atlantic. This time, a Yemeni plane on its way to Comoros (that's an island nation off the coast of Africa) crashed in the Indian Ocean.
The plane was carrying more than 150 people and while a debris field has been spotted, there are no indications of any survivors.
I'm thinking some investigating of Airbuses might be in order.Another Airbus plane has crashed, less than one month after the horrible AirFrance... more
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In his weekly roundup of the crazy world of 24-hour media madness, Conor Knighton looks at 14-year-old Jonathan Krohn's appearance as part of the Fox News Prodigy Pundit Pit. This week he also looks at a Bolivian TV station's wild claims about Flight 447, BrainRush, Man Vs. Cartoon, NYC Prep, and America's Got Talent.
infoMania is a half-hour satirical news show that airs on Current TV. The show puts a comedic spin on the 24-hour chaos and information overload brought about by the constant bombardment of the media. Hosted by Conor Knighton and co-starring Brett Erlich, Sarah Haskins, Ben Hoffman, and Sergio Cilli, the show airs on Thursdays at 10 pm Eastern and Pacific Times and can be found online at http://current.com/infomania/ or on Current TV. And make sure to check out our facebook profile for special features at http://infomaniafacebook.com.In his weekly roundup of the crazy world of 24-hour media madness, Conor Knighton... more
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A Bolivian newscast showed photos from the TV show 'Lost' and claimed they were actually from the Air France flight that went down in the Atlantic a couple of weeks ago.
The newscaster says the images are believed to have been taken by a passenger on the plane with a mobile phone or camera prior to it crashing. They were actually stills from 'Lost', as you can see in the footage from the show that follows.
Ultimate FAIL.A Bolivian newscast showed photos from the TV show 'Lost' and claimed they... more
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Autopsies conducted on some of the 50 bodies found so far show they suffered broken bones, including arms, legs and hips, Brazilian authorities have told French investigators, according to Paul-Louis Arslanian, head of the French accident investigation board.
Such injuries suggest that the plane broke apart in midair, experts have said.
(Full article at link)Autopsies conducted on some of the 50 bodies found so far show they suffered broken... more
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islek
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French military ships have reportedly detected signals from the black boxes of the doomed Air France flight that crashed into the Atlantic last month.
The French newspaper Le Monde reported this morning that a research mini-submarine, the Nautile, had dived to search for the flight recorders based on a "very weak signal". The report gave no source or other details.
Authorities have been searching urgently for the black boxes, which will continue to emit signals only until the end of the month and which could contain vital clues as to what happened on board the Airbus A330, which crashed en route from Rio de Janeiro to Paris, killing all 228 people on board.
The cause of the disaster, the worst in the history of Air France, is still not known. Investigators suspect that a mix of bad weather and computer malfunctions, such as faulty speed readings and electronic failures, may have contributed to the crash.French military ships have reportedly detected signals from the black boxes of the... more
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Kepano
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2 years ago
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Eleven of the 50 bodies recovered from the crash of Air France Flight 447 this month over the Atlantic Ocean have been identified, Brazilian authorities said.
They were five Brazilian men, five Brazilian women and a foreigner, according to a statement Sunday from the federal police and secretary of defense of Pernambuco. They did not release the foreigner's nationality.
The June 1 crash killed 228 people. At the request of family members, none of the names of the bodies recovered have been released.
On Friday Air France said it would pay families about €17,500 ($24,500) in initial compensation for each victim of the crash, the company's chief executive said.
So far, Air France has been in touch with about 1,800 relatives of the people who died when the Airbus A330 crashed, chief executive Pierre-Henri Gourgeon told France's RTL radio.Eleven of the 50 bodies recovered from the crash of Air France Flight 447 this month... more
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NFUSA
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Autopsies have revealed fractures in the legs, hips and arms of Air France disaster victims, injuries that _ coupled with the large pieces of wreckage pulled from the Atlantic _ strongly suggest the plane broke up in the air, experts said Wednesday.
With more than 400 bits of debris recovered from the ocean's surface, the top French investigator expressed optimism about discovering what brought down Flight 447, but he also called the conditions _ far from land in very deep waters _ "one of the worst situations ever known in an accident investigation."
French investigators are beginning to form "an image that is progressively less fuzzy," Paul-Louis Arslanian, who runs the French air accident investigation agency BEA, told a news conference outside Paris.
"We are in a situation that is a bit more favorable than the first days," Arslanian said. "We can say there is a little less uncertainty, so there is a little more optimism. ... (but) it is premature for the time being to say what happened."
A spokesman for Brazilian medical examiners told The Associated Press on Wednesday that fractures were found in autopsies on an undisclosed number of the 50 bodies recovered so far. The official spoke on condition he not be named due to department rules.
"Typically, if you see intact bodies and multiple fractures _ arm, leg, hip fractures _ it's a good indicator of a midflight break up," said Frank Ciacco, a former forensic expert at the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board. "Especially if you're seeing large pieces of aircraft as well."
The pattern of fractures was first reported Wednesday by Brazil's O Estado de S. Paulo newspaper, which cited unnamed investigators. The paper also reported that some victims were found with little or no clothing, and had no signs of burns.
That lack of clothing could be significant, said Jack Casey, an aviation safety consultant in Washington, D.C., who is a former accident investigator. "In an in-air break up like we are supposing here, the clothes are just torn away."Autopsies have revealed fractures in the legs, hips and arms of Air France disaster... more
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Typically for a man who keeps his identity secret, the whole project has been shrouded in mystery, with media, local councillors and even staff at the museum only finding out about the project Friday, the day before it was due to open.
It has over 100 exhibits, including 70 new works. One of the pieces is a sculpture designed to convey a mother bird and two chicks in a nest but using three CCTV cameras instead to symbolise Britain's surveillance society.
"This is the first show I've ever done where taxpayers' money is being used to hang my pictures up rather than scrape them off," Banksy was quoted by the BBC as saying. "This show is my vision of the future."
Many of Banksy's works are hidden amongst the art museum's more traditional paintings, mimicking a 2003 stunt when he smuggled a work into the Tate Britain gallery in London and stuck it to the wall. It went undiscovered for hours.
Banksy became famous through illegal outdoor graffiti, including painting on the West Bank barrier and leaving a life-size figure of a Guantanamo Bay detainee at the California theme park Disneyland.
Simon Cook, deputy leader of Bristol council who has responsibility for arts, said he was thrilled Banksy was back, despite his controversial nature.
"Everybody assumed it (his new exhibition) would be in Los Angeles, in New York, in London, but he insisted it came to Bristol... and it's just him coming home," Cook said.
A PR company representing Banksy released a statement, which it said came directly from the artist, explaining why he was staging the show in Bristol.
"Banksy, who is rumoured to hail from the Bristol area, but has never revealed his full identity due to ongoing legal complications, is mounting the show as a salute to the city, which supported his early street career," it read.
From small time graffiti artist to global star, Banksy's work has become so valuable that several of his street works have been salvaged and sold, including a painting on a wall in London that fetched 208,100 pounds in an online sale in 2008.
One of the highest sums paid for a Banksy at auction was 288,000 pounds for "Space Girl and Bird."Typically for a man who keeps his identity secret, the whole project has been shrouded... more
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Johanna Ganthaler and her husband Kurt were on holiday in Brazil and were supposed to take Air France flight 447 back to Paris.
But they missed the doomed flight and decided to take a different flight home to Europe instead.
Well sucks to have gone out in a car accident....Johanna Ganthaler and her husband Kurt were on holiday in Brazil and were supposed to... more
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An Italian woman who missed the Air France flight that plunged into the Atlantic last week, killing all 228 on board, has been killed in a car crash.
Johanna Ganthaler and her husband, both pensioners, were holidaying in Brazil and missed the fatal Flight 447 by minutes. They took a flight to Europe that day and were on holiday in Austria this week when the car they were driving veered off the road, killing Johanna.
If I'd also missed that flight, I'd be very, very worried now...An Italian woman who missed the Air France flight that plunged into the Atlantic last... more
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richjm
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RECIFE, Brazil – Search boats scouring the Atlantic Ocean on Sunday recovered 15 more bodies of passengers who were aboard a doomed Air France flight that crashed a week ago, Brazilian military authorities said.
Air Force Col. Henry Munhoz said four of the bodies were men and four were women. They could not provide the gender of a ninth body Brazilian searchers recovered or of eight additional bodies recovered by French authorities.RECIFE, Brazil – Search boats scouring the Atlantic Ocean on Sunday recovered 15... more
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Three more bodies were found Sunday in the ocean near the spot where an Air France jet is believed to have crashed a week ago, bringing the total number of bodies plucked from the water to five, Brazil's military said.
None of the bodies recovered Sunday had documents with them to indicate their identities, and authorities did not specify their gender. The first two bodies, found Saturday, were men.
The three bodies were found about 70 kilometers (45 miles) from the site where the jet sent out a burst of messages indicating it was experiencing a series of electric failures and losing cabin pressure. All the bodies that have been recovered were found in the same general area.
Authorities also said pilots searching the mid-Atlantic also spotted an undetermined number of additional bodies from the air and are sending ships to recover them, said Navy Capt. Giucemar Tabosa Cardoso.
Flight 447 disappeared in turbulent weather May 31 during a flight from Rio de Janeiro to Paris with 228 people aboard — all now presumed dead. The investigation is increasingly focused on whether external instruments may have iced over, confusing speed sensors and leading computers to set the plane's speed too fast or slow — a potentially deadly mistake.
The French agency investigating the disaster said airspeed instruments on the plane had not been replaced as the maker had recommended, but cautioned that it was too early to draw conclusions about what role that may have played in the crash.Three more bodies were found Sunday in the ocean near the spot where an Air France jet... more
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