Search for Flight 447 black box finally called off

The BEA has called off its search for the ‘black box’ flight recorders from Air France Flight AF 447.

August 20: The French Bureau d’Enquêtes et d’Analyses (BEA) has finally called off its second search for the ‘black box’ flight recorders from Air France Flight AF 447, the A330–200 that crashed into the Atlantic Ocean on June 1 with the loss of 228 passengers and crew.

The L’Institut Francais de Recherche pour l’Exploitation de la Mer (IFREMER) oceanographic ship ‘Pourquoi pas?’ has surveyed the ocean bed for the past weeks but the flight recorder’s locator beacons ceased transmitting in early July. The Pourquoi pas? has returned to port at Dakar. A circle with a radius of 75km, centred on the last position message transmitted by the aircraft, has been extensively surveyed using a side-scan sonar device, the Victor 6000 ROV and Nautile submarine.

As the search has so far proved fruitless, the BEA will analyze the data collected with a view to making a third search of the area.