Air France flight

[disappearance]

How can a plane just disappear???

An Air France plane carrying 228 people from Brazil to France has gone missing over the Atlantic.

Paris Charles de Gaulle airport said contact was lost with the flight from Rio de Janeiro at 0600 GMT.

Brazil's air force confirmed the plane was missing and said a search and rescue mission was under way near the island of Fernando de Noronha.

An airport official told AFP the Airbus 330-200 had been expected to arrive in Paris at 1110 local time (0910 GMT).

Another official said it was possible that the plane had a transponder problem but this was very rare.

"We are very worried," he said, quoted by AFP news agency. "The plane disappeared from the screens several hours ago."

Flight AF 447 left Rio at 1900 local time (2200 GMT) on Sunday. It had 216 passengers and 12 crew on board, including three pilots.

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

[_Splash_]

Looks like it ditched; still not at its destination.  

[Classified info]

The military sonar network would have detected any splashdown of the aircraft, intact or not. Obviously they have classified the detection.

Lightening strike? Very sad.

[Just Pray]

... and Hope

[cmdsea]

Well if US Airways can manage a water landing and everybody survives its possible that Air France managed the same and there are some rafts with 218 people sitting on them bobbing around in the atlantic and awaiting rescue... albeit unlikely

[Even]

Yes, unfortunataly that's unlikely. The US airways flight was ditched shortly after take off from a low level altitude, this AF flight was already 35,000ft in the air.

Thankfully incidents such as this are very rare but its sure sad at the time.

[Goes to show]

It reminds us that flying remains a dangerous activity although, admittedly, on a per mile basis, fewer lives are lost as a result of air travel and cars remain more dangerous.

[Mr Porky]

It reminds us that flying remains a dangerous activity although, admittedly, on a per mile basis, fewer lives are lost as a result of air travel and cars remain more dangerous.

When you consider how many people fly round the world on a daily basis it's hardly a dangerous activity. It just seems that way because you lose a few hundred in one hit. I would imagine that the deaths caused by ALL the planes in one year is comparable to all the pedestrians hit by Singaporean drivers.

[_Yes_]

It reminds us that flying remains a dangerous activity although, admittedly, on a per mile basis, fewer lives are lost as a result of air travel and cars remain more dangerous.

When you consider how many people fly round the world on a daily basis it's hardly a dangerous activity. It just seems that way because you lose a few hundred in one hit. I would imagine that the deaths caused by ALL the planes in one year is comparable to all the pedestrians hit by Singaporean drivers.

You would.

[I don't]

think that any plane has ever "landed" in the sea or on land for that matter from cruising altitude with any survivors - I stand to be corrected -
Which makes the safety drills at the start a little bit of a waste of time.
If it ditches just after take off or just before landing you may have a chance -
If something goes wrong at 30k ft you have no chance

[Old Mike]

I would imagine that the deaths caused by ALL the planes in one year is comparable to all the pedestrians hit by Singaporean drivers.

Pedestrians killed in Singapore in 2008:
62 ( From Police website)

Air fatalities (registered airlines) in 2008:
439. ( Straits Times)

[Mr Porky]

I would imagine that the deaths caused by ALL the planes in one year is comparable to all the pedestrians hit by Singaporean drivers.

Pedestrians killed in Singapore in 2008:
62 ( From Police website)

Air fatalities (registered airlines) in 2008:
439. ( Straits Times)

Thanks for that Mike. Now how many people travelled by air in 2008 (for a comparison to Singapore's population)

[Mr Porky]

Ok so US airlines alone transported 392 million passengers in 2008.

If we assume all deaths were on US carriers (very generous of me) we have the following comparison

Pedestrians killed in Singapore in 2008 - 1 in 65,000 chance of being killed by a Singaporean driver.

Air fatalities (registered airlines) in 2008 - 1 in 890,000 chance of being killed by an American Pilot (friendly fire incidents excluded)

So you are over ten times more likely to be killed by a Singaporean driver in Singapore than you are by an airplane on any airline anywhere in the world.

[Mr Porky]

What about Malaysia? - no seat belts, erratic drivers who flout traffic rules, etc. Chances of being knocked down is high and an accident victim is more likely to die because the ambulances take so long to get through the traffic.

\

Well everything you have mentioned happens here on a daily basis and Singapore sees itself as a developed nation so should know better. The point I was making though is to the person who said flying is a dangerious activity. i was pointing out that it wasnt as you are 10 times more likely to be killed by a Singaporean driver in Singapore than you are dying in a plane anywhere in the world.

Right Mike?

[Why]

What about Malaysia? - no seat belts, erratic drivers who flout traffic rules, etc. Chances of being knocked down is high and an accident victim is more likely to die because the ambulances take so long to get through the traffic.

Why do you keep comparing everything good in this country to developed nations..and everything bad to third world countries (assuming there is only developed and third world and nothing in between)..?..

why?...