Nation & World

<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   Related Stories • Air France: Flight 447 pilot's body retrieved 6/25/09 • No black box signals from Flight 447, official says 6/23/09 • 7 slightly injured as Qantas plane hits turbulence 6/22/09 • Airbus beating out Boeing at Paris Air Show 6/20/09   CONTACT THE HERALD Do you have a news tip? newstips@heraldnet.com | 425.339.3400   Published: Thursday, June 25, 2009 NTSB probes incidents involving Airbus A330s By Joan Lowy Associated Press WASHINGTON — Federal safety officials said today they are investigating two incidents in which airspeed and altitude indications in the cockpits of Airbus A330 planes may have malfunctioned. The aircraft are the same type as the Air France plane that crashed into the Atlantic Ocean on May 31 after sending out low airspeed messages, killing all 228 aboard. The National Transportation Safety Board said in a statement that the first incident occurred May 21, when TAM Airlines Flight 8091 flying from Miami to Sao Paulo, Brazil, experienced a loss of primary speed and altitude information while cruising. Initial reports indicate that the flight crew noted an abrupt drop in the outside air temperature reading, followed by disconnections of the autopilot and autothrust, along with the loss of speed and altitude information, the board said. The flight crew used backup instruments, and airspeed and altitude data was restored in about 5 minutes, the board said. The board only recently became aware of the incident, but it confirmed the event through the Brazilian government. Information on the second incident is more sketchy, but it involves a Northwest Airlines flight from Hong Kong to Tokyo on Tuesday, the board said. Data recorder information, aircraft condition monitoring system messages, crew statements and weather information involving that flight are being collected by NTSB investigators. In both cases the planes landed safely and no one was injured, the board said. Air France Flight 447 came down in the Atlantic after running into thunderstorms en route from Rio de Janeiro to Paris. The Brazilian military has led the search and recovery efforts for bodies and debris, while the French are in charge of investigating the crash and the hunt for the flight recorders, or black boxes. The cause of the crash is unclear. READER COMMENTS Be the first to comment. You must be a registered user and verify your e-mail address to post comments to blogs or articles on HeraldNet. To register, click here. To read other terms and conditions, click here. Log out

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