Air France is getting ready to replace the airspeed probes on its Airbus A330 fleet a week after flight 447 went down in the Atlantic ocean.
The probes are being replaced amid speculations that they froze and supplied incorrect information airspeed data to the cockpit. This incorrect information could have caused the pilots to either fly too slow, and stall, or too fast, and rip the airplane apart, according to aviation experts.
“Air France management summoned pilots’ unions on Monday night to inform them on work to replace Pitot probes, and gave an extremely tight calendar… of a few days,” Erick Derivry, spokesman for the SNPL union, said Tuesday.
Although Air France, Airbus, and official investigators have not confirmed a link between the pitot probes and the crash, they have renewed warnings to pilots about contradictory speed readings.
In a November 2008 memo (obtained by AFP) from Air France to its pilots, Air France warned its pilots about “a significant number of incidents” linked to the pitots. The memo describes false speed readings; different speed readings between the pilot’s and co-pilot’s control panel; and of the automatic pilot cutting out.
All of this was confirmed by two Air France pilots who preferred to remain anonymous. For one of the pilots, the memo showed that “Air France knew from November of 2008 the problems that seem to explain the catastrophe of AF 477″.
According to an Air France spokesperson, each of the airline’s entire fleet of Airbus A330-340 already had at least one new pitot, from at least 3 per plane, and that there’s a program in place to replace the rest.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Why will be replace the airspeed device only of each Air France Airbus A330-340?, what´s going on with the other air companies who also have Airbus330-340?.
Thanks,
David
Maps and Photos of debris area from Brasilian Air Force Web Site.
http://www.fab.mil.br/portal/capa/index.php?page=voo447
they had to cheek the airplane before they let it flight becouse they dont know whats will happen i think the airplane missed the control or they was’nt know how to control it when the airplane missed the control
From what I have read about the weather conditions, this was a massive thunderstorm cell. Kind of like the “perfect storm”. Why do airlines try to fly through such turbulence. As a frequent passenger, I am more than happy to be delayed for safety reasons. Pilots should avoid parctically any turbulence, especially of that magnitude. The stress on the plane can’t be good. Aghhhh.