229 People Die in Airbus Crash Over the Atlantic Ocean

An airplane with 229 people on board broke apart while flying over the Atlantic Ocean. All of the people are believed to have died in the accident.

The plane went down May 31. The crash happened several hours after the plane took off from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The plane was supposed to land in Paris, France.

Brazil is in the continent of South America. France is in the continent of Europe. The flight is considered to be a long-distance trip.

The flight required the plane to cross the Equator. Airplanes crossing the Equator often run into stormy weather.

Thunderstorms in the area
Strong thunderstorms were in the area where the plane was flying on the night it broke apart. Investigators say some of the first evidence seems to indicate that the plane’s speed sensors may not have been working. That could have caused the plane to fly too fast or too slowly.

The airplane was operated by the French airline Air France. The plane was an Airbus 330. Airbus is a European company that makes large passenger airplanes.

Hundreds of Airbus 330s fly every day. The model is considered to be a safe airplane in which to fly.

Investigators think the Air France plane broke apart thousands of feet above the ocean. Some bodies and some parts of the plane were found within days of the crash. The bodies and wreckage were widely scattered. About 50 bodies had been recovered by June 16th.

The plane is believed to have broken apart about 700 miles north-east of the coast of Brazil.

Many nations join in the search for the wreckage
Navy ships from several nations were searching an area that covered several hundred miles. The Brazilian Navy was leading the search.

France’s Navy sent a submarine. The submarine could be used to recover the plane’s so-called “black boxes.” Devices that record data about the flight and voices of the pilots are called black boxes.

The devices are believed to have sunk to the ocean floor. The black boxes send out a signal for about 30 days. Searchers can often track the signal to find the boxes.

The plane sent 24 automatic messages in the final minutes. Investigators are studying the messages in an effort to find out the cause of the crash. But the black boxes are considered to be some of the most important data.

The black boxes may never be found if their signals stop before they are located.