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Air France chief questions sensor role in crash

(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-06-12 10:32

Airbus Reassurances

Airbus denied a French newspaper report that it was considering grounding its fleet of A330 and A340 planes following the disaster, saying they were safe to fly.

Gourgeon said the planemaker had reassured clients that all three types of speed sensors available for its jets were safe, including the one used on the crashed A330.

The French nuclear-powered submarine Emeraude is seen in this undated file photo released June 10, 2009 by the French Defence Ministry. The Emeraude, with advanced sonar equipment was due to begin searching on Wednesday for the "black box" flight recorders of the Air France airliner which crashed into the Atlantic Ocean last week, the French military said. [Agencies]

Industry sources said the planemaker had also ruled out for the time being that there was an electrical power failure or loss of cockpit instrument display on the Air France jet.

Air France said at the weekend it had noticed the icing problems on the speed sensors in May 2008, although Gourgeon said these "incidents" had not been deemed catastrophic.

Related readings:  Crashed jet's speed sensors not at fault, says Air France  15 more bodies found in Atlantic Air France crash  Crews find vertical stabilizer in Air France crash  Air France to replace speed sensors on Airbus jets  Missing plane flew well beyond range of radar

The airline said tests had later convinced it that probes developed for another model would be more efficient and that it had decided to go ahead and start fitting them from April 27 without waiting for further testing proposed by Airbus.

The speed sensors on the Air France A330 were supplied by France's Thales, which has produced two versions of the pitot tube for the Airbus aircraft. A third model made by US firm Goodrich have not been called into question.

The crashed plane had an earlier Thales model, which is being replaced by a more recent probe.

Brazilian and French search teams are searching for bodies and plane debris in the Atlantic some 1,000 km (620 miles) from Brazil's northern coast. A nuclear-powered French submarine is leading the search for the plane's flight recorders.

Gourgeon said more information about the crash would be available once autopsies had revealed the exact cause of death and after experts had scrutinised the debris.

"I think we will have a little bit more information in a week," he said.

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