228 fatalities

2009-06-01: Air France Flight 447

On June 1, 2009, an Air France Flight 447 was involved in an aviation accident. 228 people were killed. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: Inconsistent airspeed indications and resulting miscommunication between the pilots led to an unrecoverable stall. This summary draws on records from Wikidata contributors; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesWikidata contributorsPrimary reportUpdated 1780111919Data APIEditorial standards

On 1 June 2009, Air France Flight 447, an Airbus A330 from Rio de Janeiro to Paris, crashed into the mid-Atlantic Ocean, killing all 228 aboard. Inconsistent airspeed indications and pilot miscommunication led to an unrecoverable stall.

Accident

On 1 June 2009, Air France Flight 447, a scheduled international passenger flight from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, France, crashed into the mid-Atlantic Ocean. The aircraft, an Airbus A330, was carrying 228 passengers and crew, all of whom died in the accident.

Cause

The accident occurred due to inconsistent airspeed indications and miscommunication between the pilots, which resulted in an unrecoverable stall. The flight crew lost control of the aircraft after receiving conflicting airspeed readings, leading to a stall from which they were unable to recover.

Recovery Operations

Within five days of the crash, the Brazilian Navy recovered the first major wreckage and two bodies from the sea. However, the aircraft's flight recorders were not located until May 2011, nearly two years after the accident, when they were retrieved from the ocean floor.

Probable cause

Inconsistent airspeed indications and resulting miscommunication between the pilots led to an unrecoverable stall.

Contributing factors

pilot errormechanical failure

Investigation report by Wikidata contributors. Original record: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q185380. This page is a structured re-presentation; facts and quotes are in the CC0 (Wikidata).