Terrorist suspects may have been on Air France flight
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Two passengers with names that have been linked to Islamist terrorism were on the Air France flight that crashed into the Atlantic on June 1, killing all 228 people on board. While it is certain the aeroplane suffered computer malfunctions, officials have not ruled out terrorism.
The French secret service has established that two passengers had names that appear on classified French documents listing people suspected to be security threats.
Agents are trying to confirm the dates of birth and family connections of the two passengers. A source in the security service said it was possible the name similarities were a "macabre coincidence".
Brazilian search teams said the chances of recovering more bodies from the Air France jet are declining as currents sweep away corpses and debris.
Computer projections used by the Air France crash investigation show that the flight recorders probably lie beneath the plane’s surface debris or close by, said two people familiar with the inquiry.
The Brazilian Air Force released information on Tuesday night showing that bodies from Flight 447 had been recovered from locations that were more than 50 miles apart. And Airbus, the plane’s manufacturer, sent its airline customers a bulletin saying a re-analysis of the stricken plane’s last automatic transmissions reinforced the idea that many parts malfunctioned, but that the parts that measure air speed may have failed first.
Agents are trying to confirm the dates of birth and family connections of the two passengers. A source in the security service said it was possible the name similarities were a "macabre coincidence".
Brazilian search teams said the chances of recovering more bodies from the Air France jet are declining as currents sweep away corpses and debris.
Brazilian military officials will meet June 17 to discuss how long the search for bodies should go on, Air Force Brigadier Ramon Cardoso said. Until now, 41 corpses have been pulled from the water.
The urgent hunt for the black boxes of Air France Flight 447 received a boost Wednesday — a French nuclear submarine scoured the search area, listening for the data and voice recorders' pings before they fade away.
The urgent hunt for the black boxes of Air France Flight 447 received a boost Wednesday — a French nuclear submarine scoured the search area, listening for the data and voice recorders' pings before they fade away.
Brazilian searchers in charge of recovering floating bodies and debris said the surface search area widened into Senegalese waters. Ocean currents have pushed the remnants far and wide since the jet went down May 31 with 228 people on board.
The black boxes provide the best hope of unraveling why the Airbus A330-200 aircraft apparently broke up in midair and plunged into sea.
Computer projections used by the Air France crash investigation show that the flight recorders probably lie beneath the plane’s surface debris or close by, said two people familiar with the inquiry.
The Brazilian Air Force released information on Tuesday night showing that bodies from Flight 447 had been recovered from locations that were more than 50 miles apart. And Airbus, the plane’s manufacturer, sent its airline customers a bulletin saying a re-analysis of the stricken plane’s last automatic transmissions reinforced the idea that many parts malfunctioned, but that the parts that measure air speed may have failed first.
A faulty air speed indicator could mislead pilots into flying faster than the aircraft could withstand, or faster than it should be flown into turbulence — two circumstances that could lead to the craft coming apart in flight.
The French newspaper Le Figaro said in its Thursday edition that Airbus "does not rule out grounding its fleet of 1,000 A330s and A340s to change the (speed) sensors."
An Airbus spokesman denied the report, telling reporters "This is wrong."
The French newspaper Le Figaro said in its Thursday edition that Airbus "does not rule out grounding its fleet of 1,000 A330s and A340s to change the (speed) sensors."
An Airbus spokesman denied the report, telling reporters "This is wrong."
The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) "has issued a press release that all A330s and other aircraft are safe to operate," he said, adding: "We will take legal action against such irresponsible reporting."
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