Pilot's harrowing final three words before plane plummeted into ocean killing all 228 on board
On June 1, 2009, tragedy struck in the skies when the Air France 447 passenger plane plummeted into the ocean, killing all on 228 board.
The flight had been travelling from Rio de Janeiro to Paris when a storm caused the aircraft to stall.
According to Joe, Investigators concluded the Air Bus A330-200 jetliner plummeted at a rate of 11,000 feet per minute, killing all on board on impact. The discovery of the plane's black boxes two years later revealed the tragedy had occurred due in part to the pilots' inability to respond appropriately and quickly enough to the plane stalling.
The black boxes, which were found in working order and recovered from the ocean floor, allowed the investigators the opportunity to listen to the recordings from the cockpit in the lead-up to the crash.
These conversations revealed the pilots were perplexed by an error in the air-speed ratings and made the fatal decision to tilt the machine's nose upwards instead of downwards when the plane stalled.
The crash was also linked to a combination of technical failures. According to France's Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety (BEA), ice crystals led to the autopilot unexpectedly disconnecting mid-flight.
On the recording, the harrowing voice of first officer and co-pilot Pierre-Cedric Bonin is heard exclaiming: 'I don't have control of the aeroplane anymore now. I don't have control of the aeroplane at all!'
The piloting crew kept the situation from the passengers in the cabin as they battled to keep the plane in the air. The plane contained several notable passengers including Pedro Luiz of Orléans-Bragança - a prince in the former Brazilian royal family, composer Silvio Barbato and Pablo Dreyfus who was a campaigner against the illegal arms trade.
In the recording fellow co-pilot David Robert can be heard shouting to Bonin 'controls to the left' before taking control himself. But, Bonin continued to hold his side-stick back, and negated Robert's attempt to put the aircraft back on track. Alarms are heard blaring in the cockpit, and the voice of Captain Marc Dubois can vaguely be made out as he asks the pilots: 'Er what are you doing?'.
Robert replies: 'We've lost all control of the aeroplane, we don't understand anything, we've tried everything."
Next, Robert can be heard saying: 'Climb, climb, climb, climb.'
Bonin responds: 'But I've been at maximum nose-up for a while!'
In a situation that sees several pilots trying to work out what is happening, Dubois suddenly comes to the realisation that Bonin is causing the stall and yells: 'No, no, no, don't climb! No, no, no!'
In a last ditch attempt to save the quickly descending aircraft, Bonin relinquished the controls to Robert. However, by then it was unfortunately too late.
As the realisation sets in, Bonin announces: 'We're going to crash! This can't be true. But what's happening?'
It's unclear who speaks next, but a voice can be heard saying the final three words before everything went silent: 'F***, we're dead.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Belfast Telegraph
9 hours ago
- Belfast Telegraph
Tributes paid to NI school teacher and mum-of-four after ‘devastating loss'
Imelda Bannon, who taught at St Eoghan's Primary School in Moneyneena, passed away on Monday. She has been remembered as a "very dear friend ]and] colleague' by her colleagues. In a joint statement, the school's principal Paschal Diamond and the Board of Governors' chair Brian McGuigan said: "It is with a sense of profound and deep sadness that we share the news with our school family and community of the loss of our very dear friend, colleague and beloved teacher, Mrs Imelda Bannon. "We extend our deepest sympathy to her husband Robert and their four beautiful children as well as her entire close family circle. "May her gentle soul rest safe in the arms of Jesus." Neighbouring St Mary's Primary School also paid tribute to the young mother. "The school community of St Mary's PS Draperstown are deeply saddened to hear of Imelda's death," it said. "We offer our sincere sympathy to her family and the school community of St Eoghan's Primary School, Moneyneena. "Such a devastating loss. "We will be keeping Imelda's family and all at St Eoghan's close in thought and prayer. May Imelda rest in peace." Local GAA club, Michael Davitt GAC, also offered condolences to Imelda's grieving loved ones. "The committee and members of Michael Davitt GAC Swatragh would like to extend their deepest sympathies to the Bannon and McFlynn families on the death of Imelda,' it said. "Our pitch coordinator Robert (Rab), vice-chairperson Paul, our former senior hurler Oran, Imelda's children Éadaon, Bróna, Oisín and Áine and the wider Bannon and McFlynn families are in our thoughts and prayers. "Our Lady, Queen of the Gael, pray for her." In a death notice, Imelda is described as "beloved wife of Robert and loving mother of Éadaon, Bróna, Oisín and Áine; beloved daughter of Marian and the late Fergal McFlynn and much adored sister of Paul (Roisin), Gemma (Gareth) and Oran (Catherine) and a much loved aunt; Daughter-in-law of Bernadette and the late Sandy Bannon and sister-in-law of Raymond, Patrick and Maria."
BBC News
3 days ago
- BBC News
Two fishermen rescued by RNLI three miles from Shoreham-by-Sea
Two fisherman have expressed their thanks to rescue teams after they were pulled from the water as their boat men were rescued by RNLI Sussex three miles south off Shoreham-by-Sea early on Saturday pair had just enough time to put on lifejackets and alert the coastguard before their 17ft fishing vessel went down, resulting in them being thrown into the of the men, who was named as Robert by the RNLI, says they were both "so relieved to see the lifeboat" after their vessel sank within minutes. He said: "We both have children and it might have been a different story for our families if the lifeboat crew hadn't been there to rescue us. "We want to say a huge thank you to them."
Daily Mirror
09-07-2025
- Daily Mirror
Pilot's last words before plane crash as mystery surrounds one passenger
The doomed Voepass Airlines plane flown by pilot Danilo Santos Romano, and his co-pilot, Humberto de Campos Alencar e Silva, were the first to be identified, with Humberto asking Danilo the devastating question "What's going on?" In a chilling final statement, the pilot of a doomed plane uttered four harrowing words before the aircraft plummeted from the sky, killing all 62 people aboard in a tragedy that left black smoke billowing over Brazil. August's fatal crash of a commercial plane in Brazil revealed a tragic conversation captured by the black box, with Voepass Airlines' pilot Danilo Santos Romano and his co-pilot Humberto de Campos Alencar e Silva being among the first victims named. "What's going on?" Humberto asked shortly before disaster struck, also urging for "more power" as reported by Brazil's Globo TV station. The details of the flight's gut-wrenching final moments have not been confirmed by Cenipa, Brazil's aviation accident investigation authority. The ATR-72 turboprop was en route to Sao Paulo from Cascavel when it crashed around 1.30pm in Vinhedo; It spiralled uncontrollably before slamming into trees, creating a tower of black smoke. Adding to the mystery, an additional passenger unaccounted for was later discovered among the dead, raising the number of casualties to 62 and casting doubt on how they were overlooked initially. Weather experts have reported severe icing conditions in Sao Paulo state around the time of the tragic plane crash. The aircraft was operating normally until 1.21pm, at which point it ceased responding to calls and radar contact was lost at 1.22pm, according to a statement from Brazil's air force, reports the Mirror US. Notably, the plane did not report any emergency. Brazilian aviation engineer and crash investigator, Celso Faria de Souza, is almost certain that ice was the cause of the accident. ATR-72 planes have had previous issues with icing, including a devastating crash in Indiana in 1994, which resulted in the death of 68 people due to the plane's inability to bank because of ice buildup. Following that incident, the manufacturer ATR enhanced its de-icing system. In 2016, an ATR-72 in Norway experienced problems after ice accumulated on the plane, but the pilot managed to regain control. Firefighter Maycon Cristo explained that authorities used seat assignments, physical characteristics, documents, and personal belongings such as mobile phones to identify the victims. The youngest passenger who tragically died in the crash was three year old Liz Ibba dos Santos, who was travelling with her father. Josgleidys Gonzalez, 29, her four year old son Joslan, her mother Maria Gladys Parra, and their six-month-old dog Luna also perished on Voepass Flight 2283. Sao Paulo's morgue received the bodies and, in a heartbreaking turn of events, was forced to ask the victims' relatives to bring in medical, X-ray, and dental records to assist in identifying the bodies. Blood tests were also conducted to aid identification efforts. Four professors from Unioeste university in western Paraná have tragically lost their lives. Additionally, eight cancer specialists were among the passengers on the ill-fated flight. Six top oncologists and two resident medics, who were in their final year of training, were travelling from their home city of Cascavel to a cancer conference in Sao Paulo when the twin-engine turboprop ATR 72-500 VoePass Airline flight crashed on Friday. Eduardo Baptistella of the Regional Medical Council said: "Unfortunately we received very sad news and were able to confirm the death of eight doctors. The doctors were going to an oncology conference. These were people who dedicated their lives to saving others." Among the deceased doctors were radiologist Leonel Ferreira, paediatric cancer expert Sarah Stella and Silvia Osaki. According to Baptistella, 15 doctors had been scheduled to take the flight but seven had taken an earlier plane. One of the victims was Arianne Risso, a dedicated doctor who worked tirelessly to help her patients fight cancer. Risso's cousin, Stephany Albuquerque, recalled how even as a child, Risso had always wanted to become a doctor and as she grew older, she devoted herself to her studies so intensely that she seldom left the house. Risso cared for terminally ill patients and "did everything with a lot of love," Albuquerque told AP by phone from Florida, where she now resides. "She wasn't the sort of doctor who would simply tell a patient, 'this is your illness, take this.' No, Arianne truly cared for people. ... She would even give her personal phone number to patients." Risso, aged 34, was flying with her colleague Mariana Belim, aged 31. Both were residents at Cascavel's cancer hospital, and the institution released a statement lauding them for their conscientiousness, care, and respect towards their patients. "It's no surprise that we often received praise for both of them. Their passion for their profession was very evident," the hospital stated. Willian Rodrigo Feistler, a general practitioner from Cascavel, knew six victims of the crash, including Belim, with whom he had maintained a friendship spanning 15 years. "Mariana was calm, somewhat melancholic, but extremely intelligent, empathetic and dedicated to her profession," Feistler shared over a phone call from Cascavel. "She devoted much of her life to studying and medical training. She had already specialised in clinical medicine and was finalising her specialisation in clinical oncology", he added. José Roberto Leonel Ferreira, a recently retired doctor who also perished in the crash, was one of Feistler's tutors during his undergraduate studies. He owned a radiology clinic in Cascavel. Feistler praised the deceased, stating: "I went over cases with him on several occasions. He was a receptive person who helped other doctors in the discussion of cases to reach diagnoses," The Federal Council of Medicine in Brazil mourned the loss of their colleagues, expressing solidarity with the victims' friends and family. In the wake of the tragic plane crash, several individuals came forward to share their near-miss experiences. Adriano Assis, who had just finished his shift at a hospital, was running late for the 11.56am flight from Cascavel Regional Airport in Paraná to São Paulo/Guarulhos International Airport in São Paulo. Assis recounted his experience to Brazilian news outlet G1, saying he arrived at the counter at 9.40am only to find no agents present. He waited nearby, sipping coffee and constantly checking the departure and arrival screen for updates on flight 2283. He said: "When I decided it was already 10.30am, there was a huge line here". He continued to wait until around 10.40am when he was informed that he wouldn't be boarding anymore as it was an hour before boarding. Assis recounted his plea to the agent, expressing his luck at being denied boarding on his return flight to São Paulo. "At that moment, I argued with him and stuff, and that was it, and he saved my life, man," he admitted. "He did his job because... if he hadn't done it... maybe I wouldn't be in this interview today, sorry." Another man shared with the media how he, along with three friends, missed their flight by waiting at the wrong gate. "When it was 11 o'clock, I came looking here. When I looked I said, 'Man, you're not getting on that plane anymore'," he explained. In a desperate attempt to make the flight, he tried convincing an airport employee. "I said, 'Girl, put me on this plane, I have to go, I have to go'," he pleaded. The worker firmly responded, "No ...What I can do for you is reschedule your flight.' So, she rescheduled it for 6.20pm." Consequently, she booked him onto another flight for 6.20pm.
