Air France Flight 447 Accident Investigation (F-GZCP)

Flight Details and Departure On 31 May 2009, Air France Flight 447, an Airbus A330-203 registered F-GZCP, departed Rio de Janeiro-Galeão for Paris Charles de Gaulle. The aircraft carried 12 crew members and 216 passengers. Takeoff occurred at 22:29 local time, with the Captain serving as Pilot Not Flying (PNF) and a co-pilot as Pilot Flying (PF). The flight initially proceeded smoothly, reaching cruise altitude at flight level 350 shortly after midnight. ## Encounter with Turbulence At 1:35, the aircraft arrived at the INTOL point and switched to HF communication. Attempts to establish an ADS-C connection with DAKAR Oceanic failed. The crew noted a convective zone linked to the inter-tropical convergence zone (ITCZ) between SALPU and TASIL. At 1:45, the aircraft entered a turbulent zone, and the crew discussed the inability to climb due to high temperatures. The turbulence increased slightly before stopping shortly after 1:52. ## Loss of Control and Stall At 2:08, the PNF proposed a slight left turn, and the crew reduced speed to Mach 0.8. At 2:10:05, the autopilot and auto-thrust disconnected, and the PF took manual control. The aircraft began to roll right, and the PF made nose-up and left inputs, triggering stall warnings. The speed displayed on the left primary flight display (PFD) dropped sharply from 275 kt to 60 kt, and the flight control law reconfigured from normal to alternate. The PNF read out ECAM messages, noting the loss of autothrust and reconfiguration to alternate law. The PF made rapid roll control inputs and increased the pitch attitude to 11° in ten seconds. ## Final Moments The PNF called the Captain several times, and the stall warning triggered continuously. The thrust levers were positioned in the TO/GA detent, and the PF made further nose-up inputs. The aircraft's pitch attitude increased beyond 10 degrees, and the trimmable horizontal stabilizer moved from 3 to 13 degrees pitch-up. At 2:11:37, the PNF took over control, but the PF quickly regained priority. The Captain re-entered the cockpit at 2:11:42, and all recorded speeds became invalid. The aircraft's angle of attack exceeded 40 degrees, and the vertical speed dropped to -10,000 ft/min. The PF made pitch-down inputs, and the speeds became valid again, triggering the stall warning once more.