Press Release
English (1 to 42)
PRESS RELEASE 42
INFORMATION ON THE SEARCH FOR AIR FRANCE FLIGHT 447
The Brazilian Navy Command and Aeronautical Command inform that this Thursday, June 25th, no bodies were sighted in the search area. The military personnel involved in the operation only located reduced quantity of possible debris.
We inform that the objects sighted yesterday by the Brazilian Air Force were not identified as material related to the fallen flight, therefore, they were not recovered by the ships involved in the search.
Tomorrow, June 26th, the Frigate Bosísio will dock at the Port of Recife at 16:30, bringing wreckage on board. The commander of the vessel Frigate Captain Claudio José D´Alberto Senna will be available for a press conference.
News media interested in covering the arrival of the ship, should register by sending an email to: [email protected] informing name, ID number and which news organization they belong to, before 12:00 on Friday (June 26).
Navy Public Affairs Center
Air Force Public Affairs Center
PRESS RELEASE 41
INFORMATION ON THE SEARCH FOR AIR FRANCE FLIGHT 447
The Brazilian Navy Command and Aeronautical Command inform that, this Wednesday, June 24th, there were no sightings of bodies in the search area. Only sightings of various materials, dispersed and in small quantity. The Frigate Bosísio was informed of the location of the objects.
The Corvette Jaceguai docked today at 9:30 am at the Port of Natal for routine maintenance, and will during this period await for instructions from Navy Command related to the ongoing Operation.
Navy Public Affairs Center
Air Force Public Affairs Center
PRESS RELEASE 40
AIR FRANCE FLIGHT 447 SEARCH REPORT
INFORMATION ON THE SEARCH FOR AIR FRANCE FLIGHT 447
The Brazilian Navy Command and Aeronautical Command inform that this Tuesday, June 23rd, no bodies were sighted in the search area, with only the sighting of various materials, dispersed and in small quantity.
SALVAERO RECIFE received a message from the Senegalese Rescue Coordination Center (CCS DAKAR/Senegal) informing that they are definitely suspending the air search efforts coordinated by that country.
The document commends the fundamental help given by Brazil to the international search and rescue community.
Consequently, from now on, only aircraft under the coordination of SALVAERO RECIFE continue in the search.
Read below, the complete message of the CCS Dakar:
AFR 447 SAR OPERATIONS
END OF SAR OPERATIONS
We inform you that we have stopped the search operations in our area. If
you need supplementary means of assistant we could send you our research
means.
We extend our great appreciations to all of you helpful support in
fulfillment of our duties vis-à-vis the international SAR community.
Regards,
POUR LE COLONEL, CHEF D´ETAT-MAJOR DE L`ARMEE DE L`AIR ET DIRECTEUR DU CCS.
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PRESS RELEASE 39
INFORMATION ON THE SEARCH FOR AIR FRANCE FLIGHT 447
The Brazilian Navy Command and Aeronautical Command inform that, this Monday, June 22nd, there continues to be sightings of possible wreckage 1.100 kilometers northeast of Fernando de Noronha. No bodies were sighted. The Dock Landing ship Rio de Janeiro was informed of the location of the debris.
The Tanker Almirante Gastão Motta arrived at the Port of Recife at 11:15 am, bringing the last body and mortal remains found, as well as a small quantity of wreckage and baggage. The body and remains were delivered to the representatives of the Federal Police and the Legal Medical Institute of Pernambuco (IML). The material recovered will be made available to the Bureau D´Enquêtes et D´Analises Pour la Securité de l´Aviation Civile (BEA).
Having completed three weeks of Operation, the aircraft have flown around 1.350 hours, visual search was done over 320.000 square kilometers, which corresponds to twice the dimensions of the State of Ceará. There was no change in the number of ships involved in the searches, but navy personnel increased to 885, taking to a total of 1.100 the number of those involved in the operation. The operational pattern remains unaltered from information previously disclosed.
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PRESS RELEASE 38
INFORMATION ON THE SEARCH FOR AIR FRANCE FLIGHT 447
The Brazilian Navy Command and Aeronautical Command inform that this Sunday, June 21st, there were only sightings of supposed debris from the fallen aircraft, at a distance of 1.100 kilometers northeast of Fernando de Noronha.
The Corvettes Jaceguai (Brazilian Navy) and Ventose (French Navy) were informed of these reports. The meteorological conditions were satisfactory for visual search during the day.
The Tanker Almirante Gastão Motta continues en route do Recife bringing a body and a bag with mortal remains, as well as a small quantity of wreckage and baggage. The estimated time of arrival at the Port of Recife is still, Monday, June 22nd, at 10 am. The body and remains will be delivered to the representatives of the Federal Police and the Legal Medical Institute of Pernambuco (IML). The material collected will be made available to the Bureau D´Enquêtes et D´Analises Pour la Securité de l´Aviation Civile (BEA).
We repeat that news organizations interested in covering the arrival of the Tanker Almirante Gastão Motta, to the Port of Recife, should register by sending an email to [email protected] (Brazilian Navy/Aeronautical Command). The ship´s Commander, Frigate Captain Ednaldo Blum de Oliveira Santos will be available for a press conference.
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PRESS RELEASE 37
INFORMATION ON THE SEARCH FOR AIR FRANCE FLIGHT 447
The Brazilian Navy Command and Aeronautical Command inform that this Saturday, June 20th, meteorological conditions were satisfactory for visual search, yet no bodies or debris was sighted.
On the twentieth day of searches, we inform that the R-99 aircraft employed on the Operation for imaging missions will ceased to be used, due to the fact that the area of concentration of debris is well defined, the basic objective of the electronic scanning missions.
The R-99 flew more than 100 hours and fulfilled a vital role in the Operation, especially in its initial phase.
The Tanker Almirante Gastão Motta is en route do Recife, bringing a body and a bag with mortal remains, as well as a small quantity of wreckage and baggage. The estimated time of arrival at the Port of Recife is Monday, 22nd, at 10 am. The body and remains will be delivered to the representatives of the Federal Police and the Legal Medical Institute of Pernambuco (IML). The material collected will be made available to the Bureau D´Enquêtes et D´Analises Pour la Securité de l´Aviation Civile (BEA).
The Dock Landing ship Rio de Janeiro is already in the search area.
News organizations interested in covering the arrival of the Tanker Almirante Gastão Motta, to the Port of Recife, should register by sending an email to [email protected] (Brazilian Navy/Aeronautical Command). After the arrival of the ship there will be a press conference with the ship´s Commander, Frigate Captain Ednaldo Blum de Oliveira Santos.
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PRESS RELEASE 36
INFORMATION ON THE SEARCH FOR AIR FRANCE FLIGHT 447
The Brazilian Navy Command and Aeronautical Command inform that this Friday, June 19th, only wreckage from the AF 447 was sighted and recovered.
The Corvette Caboclo docked today at 9:15 am, at the Port of Recife bringing a significant quantity of wreckage, as well as belongings of the Air Bus passengers. This material was delivered to the French team responsible for the investigation of the causes of the accident (BEA).
At 3 pm there was a meeting at the Third Integrated Center of Air Defense and Air traffic Control (CINDACTA III), of the various military organizations involved in the Operation, in order to evaluate the logistical means made necessary for the continuation of the aerial and naval search and recovery missions, in view of the lack, until this moment, of an estimated date for the end of the Operation.
Present at the meeting were the Vice Admiral Edison Lawrence Mariath Dantas, commander of the Third Naval District, the Major Brigadier Louis Jackson Josuá Costa, commander of the Second Regional Air Command, Colonel Aviator Luis Gonzaga Leão Ferreira, Commander of the CINDACTA III and aides.
There have been no changes in the naval and aerial means employed, nor in the amount of military personnel mobilized for the Operation, that proceeds as planned.
Navy Public Affairs Center
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PRESS RELEASE 34
INFORMATION ON THE SEARCH FOR AIR FRANCE FLIGHT 447
The Brazilian Navy Command and Aeronautical Command inform that this Wednesday, June 17th, the Amphibious Assault ship Mistral, of the French Navy, retrieved remains sighted in the search area. Wreckage and luggage are also being retrieved from the region.
This afternoon, at 14:30 (Brasilia local time) a C-130 Hercules aircraft landed in Recife (PE) carrying the six bodies that were in Fernando de Noronha, and were delivered to the Legal Medical Institute, in order that the identification task be concluded.
The Corvette Caboclo, that is carrying a significant quantity of wreckage and baggage on board, is scheduled to arrive at the Port of Recife on the 19th of June, when it will transfer to the representatives of the French Investigation Committee (BEA) all this material.
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PRESS RELEASE 33
INFORMATION ON THE SEARCH FOR AIR FRANCE FLIGHT 447
The Brazilian Navy Command and Aeronautical Command inform that, this Tuesday, June 16th, at 11:30 am (Brasilia local time), one more body was sighted and rescued by the Corvette Caboclo. In total 50 bodies have been found.
The definition of the daily search area for the aircraft is obtained by the studies done by the team of the SALVAERO Recife, that analyses data from various sources, like older reports, maritime currents and predominant winds. This data is put into the SARMASTER computer program, that aids the identification of new search area to be covered. The designated search area for today had more than 19 thousand square kilometers.
The Frigate Bosísio arrived near Fernando de Noronha with the six bodies located by the French Amphibious Assault ship Mistral. At 8:15am (Brasilia local time), a H-34 Super Puma helicopter landed in the archipelago with these bodies. At his moment the frigate is headed towards Natal (RN) for routine maintenance.
Tomorrow, the 17th, the Dock Landing Ship Rio de Janeiro will position itself around 25 miles (49 kilometers) north of Fortaleza (CE), in order to receive two helicopters: a UH-14 Super Puma and a UH-12 Esquilo. Besides this ship en route to the search area, the Brazilian Navy maintains the following means at the location: Tanker Gastão Motta, the Corvettes Caboclo and Jacegui, the Patrol Boat Goiana, as well as the seagoing Tug Triunfo. The French Navy operates with the Mistral ship and the Frigate Ventose.
The Brazilian Air Force is working with 10 aircraft: the R-99 aircraft, three C-130Hercules, two C-105A Amazonas, two P-95 Patrol Bandeirantes, a H-60LBlackhawk helicopter and a H-34 Super Puma helicopter. France uses two aircraft: a Falcon 50 and a Atlantic 2. Yesterday the Operation surpassed a total of one thousand hours flown by Brazilian and French aircraft.
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PRESS RELEASE 32
INFORMATION ON THE SEARCH FOR AIR FRANCE FLIGHT 447
The Brazilian Navy Command and Aeronautical Command inform that, in the search today, military personnel aboard aircraft sighted wreckage 950 kilometers from Fernando de Noronha, in an area close to where debris was found before. No bodies were sighted.
At this moment, more than a thousand Brazilian military are directly involved in the searches, 761 belong to the Navy and 250 to the Air Force.
The Frigate Bosísio is heading back to Fernando de Noronha with the six bodies found before by the French Navy and transferred to the Brazilian ship. The arrival estimate to the island is tomorrow, Tuesday, June 16th.
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PRESS RELEASE 31
INFORMATION ON THE SEARCH FOR AIR FRANCE FLIGHT 447
The Brazilian Navy Command and Aeronautical Command inform that the total number of bodies rescued and transported to Recife (PE) is 43 and not 44, as previously announced. There was a correction of this number after the pre-identification work by the Federal Police experts and the Pernambuco Department of Public Safety.
Due to the impossibility of only visual verification of the state of the bodies, from this date onwards, the search operational command will start to use the term ´´mortal remains´´ and no longer ´´bodies´´ to account for what is found in the ocean.
The six bodies retrieved by the French Navy are, at this moment, being transferred to the Frigate Bosísio, another three already are on board the Brazilian ship.
Meteorological conditions, though not ideal, allowed search aircraft and ships to accomplish their duties. No bodies were found nor sightings of wreckage of the fallen aircraft made.
This Sunday, at 15:30, the operational center received the visit of the French Ambassador Pierre-Jean Vandoorne. He confirmed his support and admiration for the mission being carried out by the military.
After two weeks of searches, we inform that the R-99 aircraft employed in the mission accomplished the electronic scanning of a total of 1.019.548 square kilometers of the Atlantic Ocean, the equivalent of around ten times the size of the State of Pernambuco or five times the State of São Paulo. The electronic scanning made it possible for other aircraft and ships to identify the areas where bodies and aircraft wreckage were located.
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PRESS RELEASE 30
INFORMATION ON THE SEARCH FOR AIR FRANCE FLIGHT 447
The Brazilian Navy Command and Aeronautical Command inform that, since the beginning of the operation, this day has presented the worst meteorological conditions for the searches ever. This scenario forced the aircraft that were launched to return to their bases and to remain grounded during most of the day.
During the day, the merchant ship Gammagas, from Antigua, on the route from Uruguay to United Kingdom, found and rescued part of the structure of the fallen aircraft, at a point 415 kilometers northwest of the São Pedro and São Paulo archipelago.
The Frigate Constituição will arrive tomorrow morning, the 14th, to the Port of Recife (PE), where it will unload wreckage and personal objects rescued from the search area. The airplane parts, as well as the baggage found, will be under the responsibility of the Bureau D´enquêtes et D´Analises pour la Securité de l´Aviation civile (BEA), as agreed by the French aeronautical authority and the airline Air France.
During the passage of the Frigate Constituição close to Fernando de Noronha, a H-60 Blackhawk helicopter, from the Brazilian Air Force, picked up the three bodies that were on the ship, transporting them to the archipelago for the initial round of forensic identification.
The other 21 bodies that were on the Archipelago arrived at 14:00, at the Recife Air Base and were entrusted to the care of the Legal Medical institute (IML) of the capital of Pernambuco state. The bodies still in Fernando de Noronha will be transported in the next few days, as initial forensic identification work progresses.
News organizations interested in covering the arrival of the Frigate Constituição to the Port of Recife, should register by means of the following e-mail: [email protected] (Brazilian Navy).
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PRESS RELEASE 29
INFORMATION ON THE SEARCH FOR AIR FRANCE FLIGHT 447
The Brazilian Navy Command and Aeronautical Command inform that more bodies have been rescued by the French Navy, however, the quantity will be disclosed only when these bodies are transferred to a ship of the Brazilian Navy.
The Frigate Constituição should be arriving at Recife´s port next Sunday, June 14th, with the wreckage and personal objects retrieved from the search area. The pieces of the aircraft (wreckage) will be made available to the Bureau D´enquêtes et D´Analises pour la Securité de l´Aviation civile (BEA). As for the personal objects (baggage) of the flight AF 447, the Air Force awaits the official position of Air France airline, that is legally responsible for these items.
The air search today had only Brazilian Air Force aircraft. The two French planes which are part of the operation were undergoing routine maintenance and were therefore unable to fly.
The meteorological conditions continue unfavorable to the activities, yet, all the air search missions planned for today were completed. The height of the waves remains below one meter and the water temperature at the surface is around 26ºC.
Today some data referring to the logistical effort of the Brazilian navy for this operation was calculated. Until June 11th, the sum of all days at sea of all ships involved in the Operation has totalled 56,5 days. Altogether 13.763 miles were navigated (25.490 kilometers), which represents three times the extent of the Brazilian coast.
Do be advised that from tomorrow on, June 13th, there will be only one press conference a day, that will take place at 18:00 pm (Brasilia time).
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PRESS RELEASE 28
INFORMATION ON THE SEARCH FOR AIR FRANCE FLIGHT 447
The Brazilian Navy Command and Aeronautical Command inform that in the last hours, visual search aircraft, directed further west from the spots of initial concentration, have sighted various types of wreckage, confirming the predictions of the search planning regarding the movement of maritime currents. Ships have already been directed to the rescue in those areas.
Meteorology indicates much worsening of the weather and visibility conditions in the search area, that might affect the task at hand. Despite these meteorological limitations, the search will continue, always in the areas that offer the best conditions for low level visual flight. Sea conditions are favorable, with waves up to a meter high.
The military personnel, the means employed as well as the operational procedures adopted by the Search Operations, remain the same as previously informed.
From tomorrow, June 13th, press conferences will be held daily, at 18:00 pm (Brasilia time)
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PRESS RELEASE 27
INFORMATION ON THE SEARCH FOR AIR FRANCE FLIGHT 447
The Brazilian Navy Command and Aeronautical Command inform that three more bodies were recovered in the last hours, bringing the total of bodies found to 44. These last three bodies are on board the Frigate Constituição of the Brazilian Navy.
This morning, the transfer of 25 bodies that were aboard the Frigate Bosísio to Fernando de Noronha, where they will undergo preliminary forensics registry, was concluded. The bodies will be transported to Recife in two stages, depending on the flow of this initial task. The first stage should be concluded by the morning of Saturday, June 13th.
During the transfer of the bodies, the H-60 Blackhawk helicopter, of the Brazilian Air Force, took the opportunity to transport 15 military from the Onboard Aerial Detachment (DAE), of the Brazilian Navy, to the Frigate Bosísio, that will start to operate a AH-11A Lynx helicopter in the search area.
By request of the French Navy, the Blackhawk also transported two French psychologists to the Frigate Bosísio, so that they may be transported to the Frigate Ventose.
The current level of Navy personnel in the operation is up to 585 military. The Air Force remains with 255. The means employed, as well as the operational patterns for the Search Operation, remain unaltered from information previously provided.
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PRESS RELEASE 26
INFORMATION ON THE SEARCH FOR AIR FRANCE FLIGHT 447
The Brazilian Navy Command and Aeronautical Command inform that the Frigate Bosísio has arrived to a location nearby Fernando de Noronha where the helicopters, a H-60 Blackhawk and a H-34 Super Puma, of the Brazilian Air Force, initiated at 5:50 am (Brasilia time) the transport of the 25 bodies from the ship to the archipelago.
Ten days from the beginning of the activities, the aircraft involved in the operation have flown a total of 700 hours. Of this total, the Brazilian Air Force has carried out 597 flight hours and other nationalities (USA and France) the remaining. The aircraft most involved in the mission, the C-130 Hercules, C-105 Amazonas and P-95 Bandeirante Patrol, have flown a total of 490 hours. The R-99 flew 80 hours accomplishing an average of three electronic scanning missions a day.
Meteorology indicates that the weather and visibility shall interfere with the search efforts in the proximity of the TASIL aeronautical way point (the limit at which the responsibility for air traffic control is Brazil´s), where most of the search effort is concentrated. Independently of the limits imposed by the meteorology, the searches will be carried out in areas that offer conditions for low level visual flight. Sea conditions are favorable, with up to one meter waves. The maritime current has changed from North to a Westerly direction, with a speed of around 1,1 kilometers per hour.
The number of military personnel and means, as well as the operational pattern being employed in the Search Operation, remain unaltered from information previously disclosed.
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PRESS RELEASE 25
INFORMATION ON THE SEARCH FOR AIR FRANCE FLIGHT 447
The Brazilian Navy Command and Aeronautical Command inform that the Dock Landing Ship Rio de Janeiro , with a crew of 363 military personnel from the Brazilian Navy, should be joining the search and rescue operations from the 19th of June onwards. Having come from Haiti, the ship will pass near the city of Fortaleza (CE), where it will receive the reinforcement of two helicopters, a H-12 Esquilo and a H-14 Super Puma , both of the Brazilian Navy.
The French ship Mistral and the submarine Émeraude have already arrived at the search area and the seagoing tub Fairmount Expedition , contracted by the French government, has received permission to dock, today, at the port in Natal (RN), where it will receive American equipments (sensors and sonars), that will be used to search for the data recorder of the Flight AF 447 and the voice recorder of the cabin (commonly referred to as the ´´black boxes´´).
It should be emphasized that these vessels and equipments are at the service of the aeronautical authorities of France, by means of their aviation accident investigation body, the Bureau D´enquêtes et D´Analises pour la Securité de l´Aviation civile (BEA).
The work of these ships will be coordinated by SALVAERO and by SALVAMAR NE, that will monitor the position of these craft so that they do not interfere with the priority task, the search and rescue of bodies. It should be noted that, even though they are in missions of distinct nature, that these ships arriving today will contribute, whenever possible, with the rescue of bodies.
Besides these, two BEA investigators, one a structural engineer from Air Bus and the other a structural engineer from Air France , should be arriving in Recife (PE), on the 14th of June.
The Frigate Constituição , of the Brazilian Navy, is scheduled to arrive tomorrow, 11th of June, to the area where the search effort is concentrated. On the same date, the Frigate Bosísio should be arriving at a location close to Fernando de Noronha, where the 25 bodies on board will be collected by two FAB helicopters, a H-60 Blackhawk and a H-34 Super Puma , currently positioned in Fernando de Noronha.
Due to the meteorological conditions today, some of the search aircraft had their routes altered to areas with more favorable conditions for visual search. Sea conditions were satisfactory for the ships.
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PRESS RELEASE 24
INFORMATION ON THE SEARCH FOR AIR FRANCE FLIGHT 447
The Brazilian Navy Command and Aeronautical Command inform that the 16 bodies that went through the preliminary identification and preparation in Fernando de Noronha, will arrive at Recife Air Base at 15h00 today, from where they will be taken to the Legal Medical Institute (IML) in order to conclude the identification task.
The Frigate Bosísio is en route to Fernando de Noronha and should arrive on Thursday, June 11th, to a location where the 25 bodies on board will be collected by Air Force helicopters. At the Archipelago, these bodies will pass through the same procedures as those before were submitted to: initial preparation and transport by plane to Recife.
The meteorology service informs that the weather and visibility in the search area, nearly 1350 kilometers or 843 miles from Recife, is expected to become worse, yet until this moment has not compromised the search and rescue activities.
The number of military personnel, means being employed as well as the operational pattern adopted by the Search Operation remains unaltered from information previously disclosed.
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PRESS RELEASE 23
INFORMATION ON THE SEARCH FOR AIR FRANCE FLIGHT 447
The Brazilian Navy Command and Aeronautical Command inform that until this moment that a total of 41 bodies have been rescued, 25 of these are aboard the Frigate Bosísio.
The first 16 bodies recovered, which are in Fernando de Noronha, will be transported by a Hercules C-130 aircraft to the Recife Air Base this Wednesday, June 10th, in the afternoon.
The search and rescue activities will continue during the night, as has been the norm, and will be concentrated at the spots where bodies have been located.
The French Government has requested entry, into Brazilian territorial waters, of two seagoing tugs contracted by France: the Fairmount Expedition and the Fairmount Glacier, that will bring with them 40 tons of equipment to aid the search for wreckage. In addition, the Nuclear Submarine Émeraude, the Research Vessel Porquoi Pás and the Amphibious Assault ship Mistral, are on route to the search area, in coordination with the SALVAERO Recife.
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PRESS RELEASE 22
INFORMATION ON THE SEARCH FOR AIR FRANCE FLIGHT 447
The Brazilian Navy Command and Aeronautical Command inform that the Frigate Constituição arrived at 6:15 am (Brasilia time), at a distance of 55 kilometers northeast of the Fernando de Noronha archipelago. This morning, a H-60 Blackhawk helicopter and a H-34 Super Puma, both from the Brazilian Air Force (FAB), took off to collect the first 16 bodies on board the frigate.
After they are released in Fernando de Noronha, the initial forensics tasks completed by the Federal Police, the bodies will be transported to Recife on a C-130 aircraft of the Brazilian Air Force. The estimated time to Recife is one hour.
The instability line in the Fernando de Noronha region delayed the transport of the bodies and might limit the flights that depart from the archipelago during the day. Meteorological conditions in the search area are not interfering with the ongoing operations.
This morning four more bodies were rescued by the Frigate Bosísio of the Brazilian Navy, which brings to 28 the total number of bodies recovered until now.
The number of personnel and means being employed on the mission remain unchanged. The search and rescue activities continue without interruption, concentrated on the spots where the bodies were located.
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PRESS RELEASE 21
INFORMATION ON THE SEARCH FOR AIR FRANCE FLIGHT 447
The Brazilian Navy Command and Aeronautical Command inform that, from the beginning of the search until now, the total of bodies recovered from the ocean is 24, all now aboard Brazilian ships.
The last eight bodies recovered, in a joint effort of the Brazilian Navy and the French Navy, will be in due time be sent to Fernando de Noronha, where they will receive initial preparation and afterward transport by plane to the city of Recife (PE).
The Frigate Constituição is around 400 kilometers from the Archipelago of Fernando de Noronha, with the 16 bodies previously rescued. The meteorological conditions have not interfered with the search and rescue operation this day, still there are meteorological formations that indicate bad weather in the proximity of the Archipelago.
Currently the Operation counts with 255 military personnel from the Brazilian Air Force, moved to Natal (RN), Recife and Fernando de Noronha (PE), and 14 aircraft, with 12 being Brazilian Air Force and 2 from France. The H-34 helicopter (Super Puma - FAB) flew from Natal to Fernando de Noronha, in order to directly support the rescue operations.
The Brazilian Navy now has 570 military personnel on board the ships. The Patrol Boat Guaíba substituted the Patrol Boat Grajaú that returns to Natal (RN) to resupply. Thus, five Brazilian Navy ships and one French Navy Frigate, continue in the area of operation.
The search and rescue missions continue, without interruption, and are concentrated on the areas where the bodies were located. The search for other clusters of wreckage continues to be carried out by the R-99 aircraft, and during the night, visual search aircraft work on the transport of supplies to Fernando de Noronha.
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PRESS RELEASE 20
INFORMATION ON THE SEARCH FOR AIR FRANCE FLIGHT 447
The Brazilian Navy Command and Aeronautical Command wish to rectify the information transmitted last night. Until this moment, 16 bodies have been rescued from the search area, and not 17 as was previously announced. The Frigate Ventose of the French Navy, retrieved seven and not eight bodies as was informed before to the Search Coordination.
The Frigate Constituição should be arriving in the vicinity of the Fernando de Noronha Archipelago on the morning of Tuesday, June 9th, transporting all 16 bodies rescued until now.
The seven bodies on board the Frigate Ventose, of the French Navy, were transferred to the brazilian ship, without compromising significantly the arrival estimate. Once in Fernando de Noronha, these bodies will receive the initial preparation and registry in order to be transported by airplane to Recife in Pernambuco state.
The search and rescue operation continues without interruptions, and is concentrated in the area where the bodies were located. In parallel to these actions, the R-99 aircraft continues with electronic scanning missions in order to identify other clusters of wreckage.
The meteorological conditions are not hampering the search and rescue operations at this moment, yet there are areas of instability nearby the Fernando de Noronha Archipelago.
Currently the Operation counts with 14 aircraft, 12 of which are from the Brazilian Air Force and two are from France. The Patrol Boat Guaíba is being substituted by the Patrol Boat Grajaú, that is returning to Natal (RN). Thus the naval element continues to be made up of five Brazilian Navy ships and a Frigate of the French Navy.
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PRESS RELEASE 19
INFORMATION ON THE SEARCH FOR AIR FRANCE FLIGHT 447
The Brazilian Navy Command and Aeronautical Command inform that until this moment, a total of 17 bodies were rescued in the search area, as well as dozens of new structural components of the aircraft.
The Frigate Constituição is on its way to the archipelago of Fernando de Noronha, transporting the five first bodies found and four more that were discovered during the course of the day by the Patrol Ship Grajaú. Of these nine bodies on the Brazilian ship, four are male and four are of the female gender, with one body whose gender has not yet been identified. These bodies should be arriving in Fernando de Noronha on Tuesday.
During the afternoon, another eight bodies were rescued by the Frigate Ventose of the French Navy, that is in the search area.
It should be stressed that in Fernando de Noronha, only the initial preparation of the bodies will be conducted. The identification of the bodies of passengers and crew of the flight AF 447 encountered will be processed through a joint effort of the experts of the Pernambuco Police and the Federal Police. The tests by the forensic medical examiner and the final release of the bodies will happen through IML (Legal Medical Institute) in Recife, while the Federal Police will help out with the genetic exams and fingerprint comparison.
During the next days, the search for bodies will continue simultaneous to the rescue of various components of the aircraft already located. The six ships involved in the Operation will continue to retrieve material in the search area. The aircraft will follow the same planning adopted in the days before, giving priority to the areas in which there has been more discoveries.
Currently the Operation counts with 14 aircraft, 12 of which are from the Brazilian Air Force and two are from France. The naval elements are made up of five Brazilian Navy ships and a Frigate of the French Navy.
We inform that, from this Monday onwards, June 8th, that the press releases will be announced at 11 am and at 19 pm.
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PRESS RELEASE 18
INFORMATION ON THE SEARCH FOR AIR FRANCE FLIGHT 447
The Brazilian Navy Command and Aeronautical Command inform that, after intense night activity, three more bodies were located this dawn by the Corvette Caboclo, and they are being transfered to the Frigate Constituição. So all five bodies on board Constituição should arrive at Fernando de Noronha this Monday. Other bodies are being sighted by ships and should be rescued in the following hours.
The search and rescue activities will be concentrated in the areas where the bodies were located. The R-99 aircraft, will however, continue scanning in the region in order to identify new wreckage areas.
The weather forecast for this Sunday in all the search area is unfavorable for aircraft missions, due to reduced visibility and meteorological formations.
Besides the five Brazilian Navy ships that are in the region, the search now is joined by the Frigate Ventuse of the French Navy.
The two french aircraft (Falcon 50 and Atlantic Rescue D) continue to collaborate intensely with the search missions.
At this time, 14 aircraft (12 brazilian and 2 french) and five Brazilian Navy ships are involved in the Operation.
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PRESS RELEASE 17
INFORMATION ON THE SEARCH FOR AIR FRANCE FLIGHT 447
The Brazilian Navy Command and Aeronautical Command inform that, as previously announced, that between 5AM and 6AM this morning the radar of the R-99 aircraft identified a series of contacts 849 kilometers from Fernando de Noronha, 69,5 kilometers northwest of the spot where AF 447 reported electrical malfunction. A Hercules C-130 was directed to the location and confirmed visually the presence of objects in the water. Soon after, at 08h14, the Corvette Caboclo rescued from the location a blue seat and moments afterwards found two bodies and various airplane parts. These bodies were transferred to the Frigate Constituição.
At 11h39, the R-99 of the Brazilian Air Force (FAB) lifted off from Fernando de Noronha to continue the electronic scanning and detected, during the afternoon, several objects to the west of the area where the bodies were retrieved. As arranged, visual search aircraft took off soon after to check out these contacts. Around 16h00 a FAB C-130 sighted other locations with possible AF 447 debris.
The search will continue at the same time that various already located aircraft components are salvaged. The Corvette Caboclo and the Patrol Ship Grajaú will continue to retrieve material from the ocean this night. Furthermore, the aircraft will continue the same planning adopted on the previous days, prioritizing the search and only afterwards the salvage of wreckage. The two bodies already are on their way to Fernando de Noronha on board the Frigate Constituição.
Its important to emphasize that Fernando de Noronha will only be a logistical stopover to allow for air transport from there on to Recife on the mainland, where the identification of the bodies will be carried out by IML-Recife (Legal Medical Institute) in the state of Pernambuco. In this current phase of the operations, it should be stressed that the retrieval of bodies will receive priority over salvaging materials and that every new evidence found reinforces the need to further extend the search area, that currently already is over 200.000 square kilometers.
NAVAL SOCIAL COMMUNICATION CENTER
AERONAUTICAL SOCIAL COMMUNICATION CENTER
PRESS RELEASE 16
INFORMATION ON THE SEARCH FOR AIR FRANCE FLIGHT 447
The Brazilian Navy Command and Aeronautical Command inform the following facts that occurred this morning, 6th of June of 2009:
04h00 - The R-99 of the Brazilian Air Force - FAB takes off from Fernando de Noronha for a continued electronic scanning mission of the surface in the search area.
05h00-06h30 - The aircraft overflies the search area and identifies a series of points in a region 69,5 kilometer northwest of the spot where flight AF 447 sent, at 23h14 on the 31st of May, its last report of an electrical malfunction on AIRBUS A-330. Still in flight the crew of the R-99 informs the location and requests the presence of the C-130 (2466) of the Brazilian Air Force and the Corvette Caboclo - the Brazilian Navy ship closest to the location.
08h07 - the C-130 confirms visually the existence of wreckage in the area.
08h14 – The Corvette Caboclo arrives at the location and salvages a blue seat with the series number 23701103B331-0 (still unconfirmed by AIR FRANCE as belonging to flight AF 447)
09h10 - The Corvette spots the first body, in the same area.
09h30 - The body is taken in by the Corvette crew and identified as being of the male gender.
09h50 - A backpack with a vaccination card is rescued
10h18 - A leather business case with an AIR FRANCE flight ticket is rescued.
11h13 - A second body, also of the male gender is found and taken in by the Navy, in the same search area.
Further explanations will be presented during the day
NAVAL SOCIAL COMMUNICATION CENTER
AERONAUTICAL SOCIAL COMMUNICATION CENTER
PRESS RELEASE 14
AIR FRANCE FLIGHT 447 SEARCH REPORT
In order to avoid misinterpretations upon the release of facts related to the search of the Air France A-330 aircraft, the Brazilian Naval Command and Aeronautical Command decided that, henceforth, sightings in the search area will only be disclosed after positively identified as debris from the AF 447 flight. This identification will only be possible after salvage of the debris and confirmation with the airline.
The Brazilian Navy will receive a reinforcement of two more ships – the Frigate Bosísio that arrives on the 7th and the Tanker Gastão Motta, which joins the search on the following day. With these, the Navy has for this operation 631 military personnel on board of five ships.
As regards the Brazilian Air force, the search will continue the same pattern adopted in the past days, aircraft involved will inform sightings to Navy vessels. With 150 military personnel involved directly in the operation, the Brazilian Air Force coordinates the searches using twelve aircraft, 9 of them from Brazil, two from France and one from the United States.
In the search area, meteorology forecasts for the following days good visibility conditions with scattered showers. The sea will have one to two meter waves with water temperature at an average of 27ºC (80ºF).
NAVAL SOCIAL COMMUNICATION CENTER
AERONAUTICAL SOCIAL COMMUNICATION CENTER
PRESS RELEASE 13
INFORMATION ON THE SEARCH FOR AIR FRANCE FLIGHT 447
The Brazilian Navy Command and Aeronautical Command inform that the search operation will follow the same pattern adopted in the past days. The aircraft involved will inform any debris sightings to the three Brazilian Navy ships that are in the area of operation. This friday, the french aircraft Atlantic Rescue D joined the group of aircraft engaged in the search effort.
In the search area, the aeronautical meteorology service has forecast isolated showers and thunderstorms, with 1.8 meter waves. Visibility during precipitation is reduced to 4 thousand meters.
The search Command received the visit of 10 relatives of the victims of flight AF 447 so that they might be informed of the details of the search operations. The group was met at the Integrated Center of Air Defense and Air traffic Control (CINDACTA III), in the city of Recife.
Journalists that showed up at CINDACTA III were presented to the operational characteristics of the R-99 aircraft.
In total, twelve aircraft are mobilized in the Natal Air Base and in Fernando de Noronha for the search effort, as well as three Navy ships and a helicopter. Two other ships of the Navy are on their way to the region to join the rest.
NAVAL SOCIAL COMMUNICATION CENTER
AERONAUTICAL SOCIAL COMMUNICATION CENTER
PRESS RELEASE 8
AIR FRANCE FLIGHT 447 SEARCH REPORT
The Brazilian Aeronautical Command informs that during the search conducted last night (03/06), an R-99 aircraft of the Brazilian Air Force (FAB) identified other 4 (four) spots with debris at 03h40 (Brasilia time), 90 km to the south of the region initially covered by FAB aircrafts. R-99 crew members observed the following disposition on the detected spots:
- Miscellaneous objects scattered in a 5 km radius;
- 01 (one) object 7 m in diameter;
- 10 (ten) objects, some of them metal parts; and
- Oil spreading on the sea surface over 20 km.
During the night, other five military aircrafts left Natal-RN for the search area, being 3 (three) C-130 Hercules of FAB, 1 P-3 Orion of the U.S. Air Force, and 1 Falcon 50 from France, to go through the spots identified by the R-99, aiming at gathering additional information on the detected objects.
In total, eleven aircrafts are deployed in the Natal Air Base and in Fernando de Noronha for the search.
Five vessels of the Brazilian Navy are heading to the area, the first of which is expected to arrive this morning (the Grajaú patrol ship). Another 3 merchant vessels – Dutch and French – are already at the area since last evening and will assist in the rescue of the debris.
The Dakar´s Rescue Coordination Center sent a document to SALVAERO Recife, acknowledging the Brazilian efforts and informing the end of the rescue operations at Dakar FIR. However, they will continue to cooperate with the search operation in Brazil, with the coordination of the AWACS aircraft (radar aircraft) of the French Air Force, which will cover an area in the boundaries of that FIR with the Atlantic FIR (Brazil), in search for objects on the ocean surface