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Debris recovered in the Atlantic does not come from the missing Air France flight, it emerged today.
Brazilian air force officials contradicted earlier reports, saying: “No material from the plane has been recovered”. Search teams combing the waters discovered a wooden cargo pallet, but the Airbus A330 did not have any of these on board.
Two life buoys were pulled by helicopters from the suspected crash site, about 680 miles northeast of Brazil's coast, but investigators decided that they were not part of the jet either.
Eleven air force planes and five navy ships are continuing the major search operation after several other debris sites have been located, spread out over 56 miles.
Three more Brazilian boats and a French ship equipped with small submarines are expected to arrive in the area in the next few days.
The Paris-bound flight from Rio de Janeiro vanished in the early hours of Monday carrying 228 passengers and crew. The plane is thought to have crashed in a violent storm just minutes after several automatic messages were sent to Air France signalling electrical failure.
Investigators have been left baffled as to how the plane disappeared so quickly without issuing a May Day call – something which would have taken a couple of seconds.
Investigators said they are looking at the possibility an external probe that measures air pressure may have iced over. This feeds data used to calculate air speed and altitude to onboard computers. Another possibility is that sensors inside the aircraft that read the data malfunctioned.
If the instruments were not accurately reporting information, the jet could have been travelling too fast or too slow as it entered turbulence from towering bands of thunderstorms.
A source said: “There is increasing attention being paid to the external probes and the possibility they iced over in the unusual atmospheric conditions experienced by the Air France flight.”
A terror attack has not been ruled out, although there are no signs of a bomb. Officials have said a jet fuel slick on the ocean's surface suggests there was no explosion.
The aircraft's two black box flight recorders could be 1,300ft below the surface. They are designed to send homing signals when they hit water for only 30 days.
Relatives have been told that there is no hope of survivors. Air France chief executive Pierre-Henri Gourgeon told the victims' families the jet broke apart either in the air or when it hit the sea.
Reader views (19)
Jack Spratt, you are the biggest idiot! Dont you know the pain and suffering that the families are going through. Keep your comments 2 urself. All my prayers go out to the families who have lost loved ones.
- Stephanie, Reston USA
Jack Spratt, " poor people can't fly " I am poor,but I can purchase a return air ticket from Bristol to Rome RETURN, for less than half the cost of a ONE WAY rail ticket from Bristol to Paddington.
- Colin, Bristol
The investigation into this accident has already cost many millions and these costs will rise. Even the smallest of aircraft accidents is investigated in great depth and rightly so but this is a hidden subsidy, like many others, to air transport. Marine and rail accidents are very infrequent and incur relatively minor expenditure. The costs of air travel should in some way be met by the industry as otherwise, once again, poor people who can't fly are subsidising those that do. Tax on jet fuel is by far far the biggest subsidy and it could easily be levied on an EU wide basis.
- Jack Spratt, Richmond, England
NJ. It's part of the humun condition to make jokes about tragedy that is perceived as distant. We can't be 'emotionally connected' to every disaster or we'd be nervous wrecks.
- Dr. Jonathan Melvin, Dublin, ireland
These posts are a good arguement for papers to "restrict" any posting in regards to tragic accidents like this.
Fortunately I suspect anyone affected by this crash will be too busy with their grief then reading this garbage.
Just because you have the ability to say something - doesn't mean you always should!
- Jc, se1
A terror attack should not be ruled out, I have visited Airbus in Toulouse, they told us planes are designed to withstand the worst electrical and thunder storms, such severity would damage humans, but the plane would remain intact, so doubt weather. What about systems failure then, possible but unlikely to be so severe that the crew were unable to radio a May Day call. Has anyone thought of EMP, {electro magnetic pulse}, could explain electrical systems failure???
- Dickie, surrey
Jh, london, you should be ashamed of yourself, you're comment is as unfunny as it is crass. Dominik Von Muehlberg, Cologne, Germany- North Korea tested their bomb in North Korea.
- Nj, London
Its a sad reflection of society on how the people commenting here can poke fun out of the death of hundreds of people.
- David, London
ehm ... where did north koreans test their nukes ...???
- Dominik Von Muehlberg, Cologne, Germany
The report says terror attack not ruled out although there is no sign of a bomb.
Actually, there's no sign of anything as yet, so all options must remain open until a positive conclusion is reached.
- Scotty, Cambridge UK
Very mysterious, no wreckage, signal or signs. I pray to god they find it for the sake of the relatives
- P1lot, London, England
Time is running out on the black box signals, may the dear lord provide a break though to relieve broken hearts
- Livingstone, Harare Zimbabwe
Is it the first episode of a new LOST style tv programme by ITV?
- Jh, london
i have it n its for sale
- Sir Said Aden, london
Did the jet fly into the Bermuda Triangle?
Has it been abducted by aliens?
Was it blown-up in mid-air?
Has it been hijacked and diverted to rogue state?
- Cp, London, UK
Gosh, I hope they get some answers, if only for the peace of mind of the relatives.
- Anon, London
"Collided with a fishing boat"...?!
Yes, probably The Flying Dutchman... the ship that was doomed to sail the around the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa forever. Probably wandered slightly off course....
- Haskey, London SE1
I am a frequent flyer on AF to and from France. Is there a possibility of 2 planes being involved in the accident or even that AF447 could have collided with a fishing boat?
- Armando Ferreira, Jeffreys Bay, South Africa.
So, if the oil slick has been ruled out and no debris from the plane has been found, a bomb is starting to look more likely as a cause is it not?
- Bob, Cheam
