Aircraft
French Investigators Conclude Air France Flight 447 Did Not Break Apart in Flight
The condition of the wreckage recovered from that Ai

The condition of the wreckage recovered from that
Air France A330-200 that plunged into the Atlantic Ocean on June 1 indicates that the airplane broke apart upon hitting the water, not while in flight as previously hypothesized, according to an interim report issued by the French civil aviation accident investigation bureau (BEA) today.

“The elements identified came from all areas of the airplane,” said the report. “Visual examination showed that the airplane was not destroyed in flight; it appears to have struck the surface of the sea in a straight line with high vertical acceleration.”