Latest from Bloomberg

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-05-12/air-france-crashed-plane-s-black-boxes-probably-intact-investigator-says.html

“…About 50 corpses are present at the site of the wreckage, and while their recovery “isn’t necessary to the accident investigation,” authorities are “not insensitive” to the wishes of some families that the bodies be recovered, Deputy Paris Prosecutor Jean Quintard said at the briefing.

DNA test results due on May 18 from two of the dead already retrieved will determine whether attempts are made to bring more to the surface. “If the bodies can’t be identified there is no reason to recover them,” he said.

Work on the black boxes, which will take a few hours to open, begins today, according to Christophe Menez, the BEA’s technical director. While the preparation of the final report will take several months, the bureau will seek to produce it by early 2012, lead investigator Alain Bouillard said….”

“…. Still, seawater is likely to have penetrated their orange cylindrical casings and soaked the memory boards.

After a rinse in de-ionized water to remove salt and other deposits that could cause a short circuit, the electronics will be dried in a special oven and inspected under a microscope, BEA investigator Philippe Plantin de Hugues said before the arrival of the flight recorders. If circuit boards are damaged beyond repair, each memory chip can be detached and read individually. ….”

“….If the memory cards are intact, the cockpit audio may be retrieved in as little as three days, Troadec said today in an interview. The recording will first be heard by lead investigator Bouillard, a second BEA official, a court-appointed expert and a police officer, the BEA director said. ….”

Let’s keep our fingers and toes crossed that the BEA get the answers the world awaits

Unique frames in Video

Unique frames in Video.

Flight crew should keep it as a memento

All modern aircraft are designed to act as lightning conductors.

News from BEA today on CVR & FDR

News from BEA today on CVR & FDR

http://www.bea.aero/en/enquetes/flight.af.447/info10may2011.en.php
“…The flight recorders will be transported to the BEA during the morning of Thursday 12 May 2011. A press briefing will be organised on the BEA’s premises at Le Bourget from 10 h to 12h….”

http://www.bea.aero/en/enquetes/flight.af.447/info09may2011.en.php – some good pics of the salvage/recovery of wreckage

This is one shall search for the others

What is the source for that?
I’m fascinated about what effects the difference in pressure will have on the remains.

Hi Sandy

This is one shall search for the others http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/world/2011/0506/1224296280792.html
“….. Rescuers said the search, using sea robots to recover bodies from the ocean off Brazil, is complex and “unprecedented”. Experts said that the cold and lack of oxygen at that depth could mean bodies were comparatively well preserved. But they could rapidly decompose on being moved through warmer waters nearer the surface and into the air…….”

The higher pressure and extreme cold at the depth the wreck is at keeps still intact flesh on the bone structure but as it is moved into lower pressure warmer water at the surface flesh may simply keep falling off on the way up.
The inability for divers to work at the depth of the wreck is the big problem but maybe they can use divers at the maximum possible depth to intercept the robot craft as it ascends and then attempt to encase each body/human remains in a body bag, before too much tissue damage occurs.

pprune has a lot of in depth posts on the different marine life at the depth of the wreckage including a video (I must admit in my opinion its gruesome) of a rotting carcase of what is possibly a whale or a shark being devoured by sea creatures at that depth.

At that point I put myself in the position of a AF447 bereaved relative and switched it off.

I shall search for the news report that said that special ships were being ordered and it would likely take a month before salvage of the other bodies went ahead after the first two that have been recovered last week.

The gruesome, controversial and emotive task of lifting human remains

The gruesome, controversial and emotive task of lifting human remains goes ahead in a month.

Reviewing all sides of the argument especially from the reported descriptions of the two human remains that have been lifted from the ocean bed so far, it appears that there are mixed opinions on whether they should be left where they are or brought to the surface.

Obvious changes in pressure between ocean floor and surface causes gruesome changes in the human remains (as reported) as it is just under 2 years they have been in a ‘temporary grave’ at extreme ocean depths.

It must be awful for relatives to decide/have opinions but from a forensic and investigative (non emotive) perspective it appears that this operation will go ahead in approximately a month when more ships/vessels arrive.

My thoughts remain with bereaved relatives and friends and on the plus side here’s hoping that the data is reproduce-able from the salvaged CVR and FDR.

I also hope for responsible journalism with respect to the lifting of the human remains.

Very nostalgic for me – great pics

Hi Keith

Extremely nostalgic for me. I commenced my CPL training in an Auster, then flew occasionally in a Chipmunk and a Tiger Moth.

Aaah those were the days.

Thanks for the great pics.

Here’s something I have referred to already from Bombardier

Here’s something I have referred to already from Bombardier
‘Black boxes’ to start tweeting?

http://www.aerosocietychannel.com/aerospace-insight/2010/09/black-boxes-to-start-tweeting/

“….. Bombardier said that its CSeries airliner will be the first commercial aircraft in the world to be equipped with live telemetry ‘black box’ downlinks. …..”

“….. not only has benefits for safety in the rare case of an AF447-style accident, but also in proactive maintenance and trend monitoring, allowing airlines to save money by optimising flights and scheduling repairs. Real-time flight data monitoring may also allow ground controllers to warn pilots of a problem and advise them to land, before it turns critical. ……”

“…..As well as Bombardier, others are also looking into this. Another Canadian company, Star Navigation Systems has recently partnered with EADS Astrium to offer ISMS, a real-time flight data system which automatically monitors and transmits selected avionics information. Supported by EADS Astrium’s Paradigm, it can transmit some 4,500-18,000+ parameters per minute. Replacing the ‘black box’ with a cloud-based ‘glass box’ some propose is the way forward…….”

As Bmused55 suggests two sets of CVR and FDR in different locations, with some sort of stress related on impact detaching capability (as opposed to flight crew triggered ejection), but in water it still remains an aspect of a flotation collar being inflated.

Kevinm suggests making the black boxes the backup (in reality that is what they will become in the event of a crash) but in my model while in flight the CVR and FDR will the primary focus preceding data concentration, compression and encryption (CVR privacy protection of flight crew conversations) and downlink/download transmission.