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Air France plane lost over Atlantic
- Thread starter arkitect
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That largely depends on the series of events. Afterall, Swissair 111 really wasn't much more than a massive electrical failure.
theBB
macrumors 68020
You'll never know. The design engineers may have overlooked a problem, maintenance crew may have broken something inadvertently, pilots may not have recognized a failed equipment (having a post it note over a rarely used warning light sounds funny, but is cited as one of the reasons for a famous nuclear power station failure) or maybe pilots could not agree on who would take over in time etc etc. The point is that there is so much redundancy in commercial aviation, one single mistake is usually not enough to bring a plane down, you need a series of them.
r.j.s
Moderator emeritus
It did, the electrical failure signal was automated, and sent across satellite ...
Even in our tech-laden world, wave physics and signal propagation are still a problem when traveling across the ocean, and keeping constant sat lock is prohibitively expensive - since it is moving several hundred miles per hour.
Well the one single mistake was to fly through a thunderstorm which was apparently 40-50,000 feet high and spread out across several miles. I've taken off at airports where there were thunderstorms - but the planes usually fly around them or above them.
Flying through t-storms usually doesn't do anything but then maybe this one was just way too powerful.
JNB
macrumors 604
I think the "best" that can be hoped for at this point is ultimately learning the cause so as to prevent a similar occurrence in the future. Beyond that, this may become this generation's Amelia Earhart/Judge Crater/Jimmy Hoffa mystery. Worse yet, just wait until the tinfoil hat crowd and conspiracy nuts all start chiming in.
This comes 1 day after my trans-Atlantic flight, scary thought. My thoughts and prayers are with their loved ones.
jecapaga
macrumors 601
Such a terrible story really. I can't imagine anything as terrible as going through a plane crash, pending doom/destruction/death. But to also throw in going through it in the pitch of night, over the deepest parts of the ocean just freaks me out to think about. I hope that it was a quick end. So sad. 🙁
I do transatl flights more times a year than I care to admit, and this is always a wake-up call that something could happen. It is, however, still amazing how many flights cross the Atlantic and Pacific on a daily basis and are perfectly safe and normal.
Apparently they have found potential wreckage.
gibbz
macrumors 68030
Well at least now there'll be a new episode of "Aircraft Crash Investigation" on Discovery Channel...
Ok I'm sorry. That was inappropriate.
Ok I'm sorry. That was inappropriate.
So tragic
My thoughts and prayers go out to eveyone on that plane.
I wish to give a special mention to Aisling Butler of Roscrea, Ireland.
She was a lovely girl. We worked together for 6 months during Intern year and she was always a great laugh and full of energy.
She will most certainly be missed by her family and friends.
A terrible loss of life and a great loss to the medical profession.
I still can't believe it. Awful news.
My thoughts and prayers go out to eveyone on that plane.
I wish to give a special mention to Aisling Butler of Roscrea, Ireland.
She was a lovely girl. We worked together for 6 months during Intern year and she was always a great laugh and full of energy.
She will most certainly be missed by her family and friends.
A terrible loss of life and a great loss to the medical profession.
I still can't believe it. Awful news.
Peace
Cancelled
My heartfelt sympathy to you and her loved ones. This is tragic. But it's good that they are finding stuff because they will be able to figure out what went wrong and hopefully avoid another disaster like this in the future.
My sympathies to you and to all of the friends and families of the victims.
An incredible tragedy 🙁
fireshot91
macrumors 601
Maybe they landed on an island somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean that constantly moves through time and space. Maybe there was a doctor aboard the airplane that survived the crash, and would need to be the leader. I think that the doctor needs to find a way to get off the island, and then realizes that the island wants them (The 6 survivors) back and needs to find a way to get back on the island. Then the leader will meet a group of people that control the island. Once that is over, he will travel back in time to 1979 and try to fit in with everyone.
I hope everybody knows what I'm talking about..... It was the first thing that popped in my mind when I saw the story yesterday morning (Before the original post).
I hope everybody knows what I'm talking about..... It was the first thing that popped in my mind when I saw the story yesterday morning (Before the original post).
Peace
Cancelled
cdcastillo
macrumors 68000
You mean "in peace", right? or "in pieces"???
Terrible tragedy, anyhow, may they requiescant in pace.
RedTomato
macrumors 601
Now it's looking like there's no survivors.
One thing that considerably surprised me was, when the news first broke of a missing plane, the French Govt immediately made a statement that it was 'clearly not a terrorist event'.
How did they know? At this point in time, there was no news whatsoever, just a missing plane and a series of automated messages that hadn't been fully analysed yet.
Does anybody else find this slightly alarming and suspicious?
One thing that considerably surprised me was, when the news first broke of a missing plane, the French Govt immediately made a statement that it was 'clearly not a terrorist event'.
How did they know? At this point in time, there was no news whatsoever, just a missing plane and a series of automated messages that hadn't been fully analysed yet.
Does anybody else find this slightly alarming and suspicious?
Fizzoid
macrumors 68020
Rodimus Prime
macrumors G4
not really.
Look at the evidence. The plane was flying throw a storm m it reported electrical failure and what statment would taking down a plane over the ocean make where it almost every case it would look like nothing more than an accident.
The french government needed to make that statement before our media started its normal spining the truth to make it out something more than it really is.