Flight 447 News Today

The haunting last words of a pilot before a catastrophic crash into the Atlantic Ocean, claiming 228 lives, have come to light.

Airbus and Air France acquitted of manslaughter charges in trial over 2009 crash of...

Aviation industry heavyweights Airbus and Air France are charged with manslaughter in a trial over the crash of Flight 447 on June 1, 2009.

>> right after i called god, the pressure dropped down. >> reporter: after falling 30,000 feet in less than 2 1/2 minutes the nose begins to pitch up and the airplane levels out at 9500 feet. >> the captain used very artful flying to recover the aircraft from the bad situation. unfortunately it was the same pilot who put the airplane in to that situation. >> reporter: flight 006 is no longer in a nose dive but they are not out of danger. the crew realizes with drag from the landing gear they won...

Both in magnitude and in duration. >> the airplane is going to react more violently than at lower altitude, more with the automation. >> the aero namic is -- they are approaching a stall. >> the air speed indications have been invalid for less than 30 seconds and now they are coming back on-line. but in that time the flight has destabilize and the aircraft is rapidly climbing at a rate of 7,000 feet per minute. >> things fwet confusing quickly. you look, wow, look at all of this air speed i have...

Have another opportunity -- and i hugged my kids and my wife. >> reporter: if the crew hadnt recovered flight 006 from its nose dive, given their rate of descend they would have collided with the ocean in 30 seconds. >> the captain is fortunate he had 30-plus thousand feet to recover this high-speed dive. had this happened in 20,000 feet he may not vpd enough altitude to effect a full recovery. >> reporter: the in the sbs investigation i determined the captains decision- making abilities could h...

228 people on board. >> reporter: dramatic animations reveal the critical moments that lead to disaster. flying through turbulent weather, air france flight 447 disappears in to the night. what happens is a mystery that will span years and the very depths of the atlantic ocean. ♪ may 31st, 2009, air france flight 447 takes off at night

Potential problems with peito tubes freezing over and had begun modifications just two days prior to the accident. the official report maintains that improving pilot training, including exercises dedicated to manual aircraft handling is the key lesson of flight 447. >> professional pilot, who had gone through professional pilot training, but none of these pilots had ever been trained to fly the airplane manually at high altitude with these levels of sensitivity. >> coming up -- an out-of-control...

Flight is expected to show up in senegals air space, but the crew doesnt check in with senegals air traffic controllers. air france 447 is missing. in the light of day, an aerial search team is demied. they scoured miles around the planes last known position. >> is this plane on top of the water somewhere? are people alive? >> but by early afternoon, officials with air france and the french government presume the airplane is lost to the sea. >> this is a catastrophe. and we have lost an aircraft...

Became a nuisance warning because they had heard it intermittently before. they didnt know if it was valid or not and decided to disregard it. well never know. they never discussed it. >> reporter: the initial french investigative report states that a phenomenon called the startle effect may have played a role. >> it is similar to walking in to a room thats dark and somebody jumping out and saying boo. its that instantaneous scare, if you will. the auto pilot is off. why is it off? what do i nee...