French Plane lost over Atlantic

[Ollieyk]

An Air France plane carrying 228 people from Brazil's Rio de Janeiro to France has gone missing over the Atlantic.

Air France said the plane sent an automatic message at 0214 GMT reporting a short circuit after turbulence, and may have been struck by lightning.

Brazil's air force said a search and rescue mission was under way near the island of Fernando de Noronha.

It added that the plane was well across the Atlantic when it disappeared, and the search had to cover a wide area.

France has also sent out several reconnaissance aircraft.

French minister Jean-Louis Borloo said the plane had probably had an accident and ruled out hijacking.

An airport official told AFP the Airbus 330-200 had been expected to arrive in Paris at 1110 local time (0910 GMT).

Crisis centre

Mr Borloo, the minister in charge of transport, said the plane would already have run out of fuel.

Air disasters timeline
"By now it would be beyond its kerosene reserves so unfortunately we must now envisage the most tragic scenario," he said, quoted by Reuters news agency.

"Nothing on Spanish radar, nothing on Moroccan radar, nothing on French radar - we seriously have to fear the worst."

Flight AF 447 left Rio at 1900 local time (2200 GMT) on Sunday. It had 216 passengers and 12 crew on board, including three pilots. The passengers included one infant, seven children, 82 women and 126 men.

An Air France spokeswoman said there had been no radio contact with the plane "for a while".

It is reported to have disappeared 300km (186 miles) north-east of the Brazilian city of Natal.

Brazilian air force spokesman Col Henry Munhoz told Brazilian TV it had not been picked up by radar on the Cape Verde Islands on its way across the Atlantic.

"Air force planes left Fernando de Noronha and are flying towards Europe to start the search for the missing plane," he said.

Airport authorities have set up a crisis centre at Charles de Gaulle.

An Air France official told AFP that people awaiting the flight would be received in a special area at the airport's second terminal.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy has been informed of the incident and has expressed his deep concern, his office said.

He has demanded that the relevant authorities do everything they can to find the plane and "shed light on the circumstances surrounding its disappearance as rapidly as possible".

This is the first major incident in Brazilian air space since a Tam flight crashed in Sao Paulo in July 2007 killing 199 people.

If there was anywhere in the world i would NOT want to be stranded, it's in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean :/

[Ratatapa]

It's sad for them, but those france people have no way to be safe for the familly.

I've seen a report from France airport when they annonced public that the airplane has been missing from the intercom, which means everyone in the airport heard it, pretty bad way to announce it to the familly imo

[Dimmauk]

This sounds like a certain TV show that I like.

How does something that big get lost?

[Takedown3]

the france airport is nice was there last october

[Ollieyk]

the france airport is nice was there last october

Some people may never know.......!

[izembo]

went through a strong thunderstorm and hit turbulance, hard to track things going through such an electrical storm

[Woozie]

I didn't know Brazil had an airforce. Heck, I didn't even know they had electricity.

[Brill Weave]

The French pilots saw the lightning and assumed it was tracer fire. They then landed in the first available country and proceeded to surrender.

[fren.]

went through a strong thunderstorm and hit turbulance, hard to track things going through such an electrical storm

You'd figure they'd hear something about it by now.

[Mizango]

The French pilots saw the lightning and assumed it was tracer fire. They then landed in the first available country and proceeded to surrender.

lol

[guartz]

Abducted by aliens.

[Brill Weave]

As to their radar. Remember what Louis Gossett Jr. said in Iron Eagle. You can fool it with tin foil. Yeah Iron Eagle baby.

[ZarakiKujata]

This sounds like a certain TV show that I like.

How does something that big get lost?

beat me to it

also: Darwinism.

[Dimmauk]

The plane isnt really missing
http://tfhp.org/images/tinfoil-hat.jpg

[Selphius]

The French pilots saw the lightning and assumed it was tracer fire. They then landed in the first available country and proceeded to surrender.

Ah, zutalors!

Perhaps it was a misfired portal gun.

[kuronosan]

Maybe the French plane retreated into the shadows?

[Kyten]

Triangle.

[Mizango]

Triangle.

Cobra?

[Brill Weave]

Cobra

Um no. You did it wrong.



COOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOBRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAA?

See the difference?

[Kiarax]

The French pilots saw the lightning and assumed it was tracer fire. They then landed in the first available country and proceeded to surrender.

Thread should have just ended here.