Brazil ceases hunt for bodies from Air France crash

Saturday, June 27, 2009

A similar aircraft

Brazil has ceased searching for floating debris and bodies from Air France Flight 447. The Airbus A330 crashed into the Atlantic Ocean 26 days ago, on June 1.

51 bodies from the 228 passengers and crew have been recovered, with most remaining unidentified. 600 pieces of wreckage have also been pulled from the sea. However, the Brazilian Air Force said that the chances of finding anything else was slim as it was nine days since the last corpse was found.

French naval vessels, including a nuclear submarine, are continueing their search for the Flight Data Recorder and Cockpit Voice Recorder. The recorders are due to continue to emit locator beacons until at least July 2.

France's Bureau d'Enquêtes et d'Analyses pour la Sécurité de l'Aviation Civile (BEA) is due to release a preliminary report on the same date. Speculation is blaming a failure of the pitot-static tubes, which serve as speed sensors, but the BEA is warning against early conclusions regarding the cause of the accident, the worst in the airline's history.


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