User:Giftlite/Interesting articles

Air France Flight 447
The daily El Mundo reported on June 4, 2009 that about the time of the last transmission of Air France Flight 447, three eyewitnesses on Air Comet Flight 974 from Lima to Lisbon saw a strong and intense flash of white light in a descending and vertical trajectory that vanished in six seconds in the direction of the crash site.

They told AP, "Suddenly, off in the distance, we observed a strong and bright flash of white light that took a downward and vertical trajectory and vanished in six seconds." They also said, "We did not hear any communication on any emergency or air to air frequency either before or after this event."

Their position at the time was at an altitude of 35,000 feet and location 7°N, -49°W. According to CNN, both pilots of Flight 974 sent a written report on the bright flash they saw to Air France, Airbus, and the Spanish civil aviation authority.

Sequence of events


All times are in Brazilian local time.
 * 7:03 p.m. - Sunday, May 31, 2009
 * Air France says plane left Rio de Janeiro. Brazilian Air Force says plane left at 7:30 p.m.


 * 10:30 p.m. - May 31, 2009
 * Air France says plane has last contact with Brazil air traffic control. Brazilian Air Force says last radio contact was at 10:33 p.m., 351 miles from the northeastern Brazilian city of Natal.


 * 10:48 p.m. - May 31, 2009
 * Brazilian Air Force says last radar contact with Brazil indicated plane flying normally.


 * 11 p.m. - May 31, 2009
 * Air France says plane entered zone of storms and high turbulence.


 * 11:14 p.m. - May 31, 2009
 * Air France receives automatic message indicating electrical circuit malfunction.


 * 11:20 p.m. - May 31, 2009
 * Brazilian Air Force says plane fails to make previously scheduled radio contact with Brazil. Brazil notifies air traffic control in Dakar, Senegal.