The last bit of hope that we had no longer exists … Before a lot of us were hoping that the plane could have landed on an island or something like that, but no more.
Aldair Gomes • Whose son was on the Air France plane that went missing earlier this week. The Brazilian army found the wreckage earlier today, and later confirmed what was likely but feared: The plane crashed into the middle of the Atlantic Ocean in bad weather, and everyone on board – 228 people – probably died. It’s the worst tragedy in Air France’s 75-year history. • source
It just vanished apparently. 228 people on board. The plane, headed from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris – an 11-hour trip that’s not exactly the most common flight ever – fell off the radar late last night and didn’t make its 11:15 a.m. local time (5:15 a.m. ET) landing in Paris. Officials are flabbergasted and trying to figure out exactly what happened. It’s likely it crashed. source
No, Obama wasn’t on it. New Yorkers got a bit of a shock when they noticed a presidential plane flying over one of the nation’s most iconic figures this morning. The Air Force confirms that yes, Obama’s Air Force One backup plane flew over the Statue of Liberty this morning, but it was for a photo op. Thanks for ruining our dreams, Air Force. source
We suddenly descended a great distance as if the plane fell into turbulence. The plane’s tail hit the ground. It slid from the side of the motorway into the field.
Kerem Uzel • A passenger on the Turkish plane that crashed near Schiphol International Airport in Amsterdam. The crash was sudden and dramatic, but it could have been much worse. • source
A big no-no With the conditions outside pretty cruddy, pilots flying to Buffalo needed to take extra care about ice on their planes’ wings. The National Transportation Safety Board tells them not to fly their planes on autopilot in such a situation. But the plane that crashed and killed 50 people was on autopilot, possibly violating federal safety recommendations.
“Significant” ice buildup The pilots of the plane, who also died in the crash, were aware of the ice on the plane and discussed it shortly before the crash. Colgan Air, the operators of the plane, had installed deicing systems specifically for this purpose, but it’s unknown when the pilots chose to turn them on. In unrelated news, this guy is lucky he wasn’t on the plane. source