Air France passenger jet drops off radar

[NM]

From news.com.au:

AN Air France passenger jet with 228 people on board is missing after dropping off the radar over the Atlantic off the Brazilian coast.

Flight AF 447 was on its way from Brazil to Paris. It had 216 passengers and 12 crew on board, Air France said.

[Cabbage]

From ABC Online:

Air France jet disappears mid-flight - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Airport officials in Paris say an Air France passenger plane is missing off the coast of Brazil.

It is believed that 215 people are on board.

Air traffic control lost contact with the plane a few hours ago, not long after it took of from Rio de Janeiro on a flight to Paris.

"We are very worried," said a Paris airport official.

"The plane disappeared from the screens several hours ago. It could be a transponder problem, but this kind of fault is very rare and the plane did not land when expected."

Air traffic control lost contact with the Airbus A330 at 0600 GMT (4pm AEST) after it took off from Rio de Janeiro bound for Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris, where it had been due to land at 0910 GMT (7.10pm AEST).

Airport authorities have set up a crisis room at Charles de Gaulle.

- AFP

[samh004]

Watching on CNN, they say it was scheduled to land an hour ago

[uzza]

ABC is reporting that it has failed to land when expected and no radio - this sounds really bad.

Fingers double crossed it's a transponder problem, even then it's still sounding grim.

[openseat]

Sounds sickening. I hope against hope they find them somewhere ok.

From Aviation Herald via Google News

An Air France Airbus A330-200, registration F-GZCP performing flight AF-447 (dep May 31st) from Rio de Janeiro,RJ (Brazil) to Paris Charles de Gaulle (France) with 216 passengers and 12 crew, is overdue at Paris Charles de Gaulle for more than an hour. The airplane had departed Brazil's radar coverage normally.

[Slats7]

My thoughts and prayers are with family and friends of the victims.

[samh004]

A French Minister is saying the plane would of run out of fuel by now on Sky News. Or at least that's been picked up by them.

[Alanslegal]

If the worse is confirmed, this is really tragic. Let's hope for that one in a billion miracle.

[Slats7]

Air France have stated that there is 'no hope' for survivors.

[samh004]

Air France have stated that there is 'no hope' for survivors.

I heard that on Sky News too, that's awful.