Air France Flight 447: The Night the A330 Vanished From Contact
The short version
This four-minute Smithsonian Channel clip covers the first hours after Air France Flight 447 disappeared over the Atlantic on 1 June 2009. It follows the A330 out of Brazilian radar cover, the controllers in Senegal who could not reach it, and the airline's realisation that the aircraft had come down at sea with 228 people on board.
Full written account
This short clip from Smithsonian Channel's Air Disasters series covers the beginning of the Air France Flight 447 story, before anyone knew what had happened.
Into the communications gap
The Airbus A330 is on an 11-hour overnight flight from Rio de Janeiro to Paris with 216 passengers. Captain Marc Dubois is in command, with First Officer Pierre-Cédric Bonin and relief pilot David Robert taking turns. About three hours into the flight, the captain reports passing a waypoint off the coast of Brazil, and at 1:49 a.m. the aircraft leaves Brazilian radar cover for the middle of the Atlantic, where it communicates by HF radio and its onboard computer sends automatic reports to Air France.
No answer
Two hours later a controller in Senegal tries to reach the flight and cannot. An Air France maintenance worker sends a message to the aircraft and it bounces back. The only recent signals are 24 maintenance messages the aircraft sent hours earlier. When the 11:10 a.m. arrival time in Paris passes, the aircraft would have run out of fuel. The airline starts to notify families, and by the afternoon of 1 June the world learns that the flight has vanished with 228 people on board.
Where to go next
The clip ends before the investigation. The full Mayday episode on this page covers the two-year search for the wreckage, and the Mentour Pilot explainer goes through the cockpit recording and the BEA's findings in detail.
Questions this video answers
What flight vanished over the Atlantic?
Air France Flight 447, an Airbus A330, was flying from Rio de Janeiro to Paris on May 31, 2009.
When did contact with the plane stop?
At 1:49 am the A330 left Brazilian radar surveillance and entered a communications dead zone over the Mid-Atlantic.
How many people were presumed dead?
228 people are presumed dead, including 216 passengers.
Were there any messages from the aircraft after contact was lost?
The only communication was 24 maintenance messages transmitted by the plane hours earlier.
Who were the pilots?
Captain Mark Dubois, first officer Pierre Cedric Bona and relief pilot David Robert.
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