A recent near-fatal incident involving a similar Airbus A330 could provide clues as to the cause of the Air France crash.
Last October, a Qantas A330 plunged 650 feet in a few seconds after a computer malfunction which was possibly triggered by electrical interference.
More than 50 people were injured in the incident which happened suddenly at 37,000 feet over Western Australia.
The air data computer, which is supposed to correct mistakes by the pilot, sent the A330 into a very steep dive. The computer mistakenly thought that the pilot was trying to climb too fast.
Fire in the Sky
© Airbus/AP
This photo shows an Airbus A330 model operated by Air France. An Air France A330 carrying 228 people from Rio de Janeiro to Paris lost contact with air traffic controllers Monday over the Atlantic Ocean
This photo shows an Airbus A330 model operated by Air France. An Air France A330 carrying 228 people from Rio de Janeiro to Paris lost contact with air traffic controllers Monday over the Atlantic Ocean
Air France says the Airbus A330 sent an automatic signal indicating electrical problems while going through an area of strong turbulence. The plane "crossed through a thunderous zone with strong turbulence" at 10:00 p.m. EDT Sunday, the company said in a statement.
Date of Sighting: May 14, 2009
Time of Sighting: 10:45 PM CDT
Location of Sighting: Gravelly, Arkansas (W. Arkansas About 60 MI WNW of Little Rock)
Description: I was riding my 4 wheeler on a perfectly clear night. I was rounding a curve and something caught my eye. I turned my attention to the sky. It was almost like two fireballs side by side traveling north. The fireballs completely lit up the sky. They seemed to be stretched out traveling fast, and in an instant they were gone. I have two friends who were looking at the same thing and wondering what we had just seen.
Time of Sighting: 10:45 PM CDT
Location of Sighting: Gravelly, Arkansas (W. Arkansas About 60 MI WNW of Little Rock)
Description: I was riding my 4 wheeler on a perfectly clear night. I was rounding a curve and something caught my eye. I turned my attention to the sky. It was almost like two fireballs side by side traveling north. The fireballs completely lit up the sky. They seemed to be stretched out traveling fast, and in an instant they were gone. I have two friends who were looking at the same thing and wondering what we had just seen.
Posted: May 18, 2009
Date of Sighting: 17th May 2009
Time: 23.00hrs
Witness Statement: Whilst driving towards Derby just noticed what looked like some sort of fireball. It looked to me like it was falling towards the ground. Not sure if it made a noise as I was driving. It's hard to say if it was moving and then lost sight as I drove under it. Not sure how high it was, 1000ft maybe? I really don't know.
Date of Sighting: 17th May 2009
Time: 23.00hrs
Witness Statement: Whilst driving towards Derby just noticed what looked like some sort of fireball. It looked to me like it was falling towards the ground. Not sure if it made a noise as I was driving. It's hard to say if it was moving and then lost sight as I drove under it. Not sure how high it was, 1000ft maybe? I really don't know.
Posted: May 17, 2009
Date: April 13 2009
Time: 9:30 pm
Number of witnesses: 2
Number of objects: 3
Shape of objects: Round
Weather Conditions: Clear sky
Description: Me and my mate were walking home and I spotted what looked like 3 fireballs in the sky, they were traveling quite slow in the sky and they looked like they were coming towards us, we didn't know what to do. This is the second time we have seen them in the same area. We have video footage but didn't know how to put it on here.
Date: April 13 2009
Time: 9:30 pm
Number of witnesses: 2
Number of objects: 3
Shape of objects: Round
Weather Conditions: Clear sky
Description: Me and my mate were walking home and I spotted what looked like 3 fireballs in the sky, they were traveling quite slow in the sky and they looked like they were coming towards us, we didn't know what to do. This is the second time we have seen them in the same area. We have video footage but didn't know how to put it on here.
A huge fire which tore through a Cumbria peat bog near Carlisle may have been caused by a meteor strike, according to some locals.
Firefighters spent several hours on Monday morning battling the blaze at Wedholme Flow, near Kirkbride, which at its height stretched for half a mile, leaving a wall of fire visible from miles around.
Firefighters spent several hours on Monday morning battling the blaze at Wedholme Flow, near Kirkbride, which at its height stretched for half a mile, leaving a wall of fire visible from miles around.
A spectacular fireball was spotted streaking across the Whitby sky on Monday night.
A local resident saw the object just before 11pm as it moved across the sky before disappearing above the sea.
Alison Heffernan of Holly Tree Court, spotted something in the sky when she was watching television.
She said: "Me and my partner have been decorating so we didn't have any curtains up. We were watching TV and saw something bright going across the sky. It was about the size of a 10p piece and was very bright, it seemed to break up then disappear over the sea."
A local resident saw the object just before 11pm as it moved across the sky before disappearing above the sea.
Alison Heffernan of Holly Tree Court, spotted something in the sky when she was watching television.
She said: "Me and my partner have been decorating so we didn't have any curtains up. We were watching TV and saw something bright going across the sky. It was about the size of a 10p piece and was very bright, it seemed to break up then disappear over the sea."
Posted: May 13, 2009
Date: April 30, 2009
Time: 9:14 p.m.
Number of witnesses: 2
Number of Objects: 1
Shape of Objects: Fireball.
Full Description of Event/Sighting: We were driving west on the Ring Road past the Albert Street bridge when we saw a bright blue/green fireball fly across the highway and burn out near the driving range.
Date: April 30, 2009
Time: 9:14 p.m.
Number of witnesses: 2
Number of Objects: 1
Shape of Objects: Fireball.
Full Description of Event/Sighting: We were driving west on the Ring Road past the Albert Street bridge when we saw a bright blue/green fireball fly across the highway and burn out near the driving range.
© Unknown
Meteors are easier to spot at night
Meteors are easier to spot at night
Witnesses said it happened just after 2230 BST on Monday and was as fast as a low-flying jet.
The fireball lasted about five seconds before burning out.
Rob Ritchie, of North Berwick, said he saw it while traveling along the A1 moving towards the Lammermuir Hills in a south easterly direction.
Fallon, Nevada - May 7, 2009 - Boomerang-shaped UFO menaces young couple in Nevada desert
A report of a boomerang-shaped UFO has captured the attention of the Mutual UFO Network (Mufon), and may be categorized as a "Level 3" event, which is one of the highest ranked UFO sightings and characterized as a close encounter with an object.
The first witness described the object as being a mere 100 yards away from their vantage point, and at an altitude of 200 feet. The boomerang-shaped object was estimated to be approximately 50 feet wide, and was a solid mass when viewed head-on, changing to translucent while retaining a faint outline when turning, or banking. There was a bright, intense light at the nose of the craft, with two occasionally flashing yellow lights on each side. There were no lights on the bottom. The event began when the witness, and his girlfriend, were returning from a drive in the desert. They observed what appeared to be three strange aircraft flying together erratically in a triangular formation. The objects stopped suddenly and one of the objects fell slowly to the ground as if it had crashed, and the other two separated and flew southwest.
A report of a boomerang-shaped UFO has captured the attention of the Mutual UFO Network (Mufon), and may be categorized as a "Level 3" event, which is one of the highest ranked UFO sightings and characterized as a close encounter with an object.
The first witness described the object as being a mere 100 yards away from their vantage point, and at an altitude of 200 feet. The boomerang-shaped object was estimated to be approximately 50 feet wide, and was a solid mass when viewed head-on, changing to translucent while retaining a faint outline when turning, or banking. There was a bright, intense light at the nose of the craft, with two occasionally flashing yellow lights on each side. There were no lights on the bottom. The event began when the witness, and his girlfriend, were returning from a drive in the desert. They observed what appeared to be three strange aircraft flying together erratically in a triangular formation. The objects stopped suddenly and one of the objects fell slowly to the ground as if it had crashed, and the other two separated and flew southwest.
