Air France 447 - Brazilian Navy Command and Aeronautical Command - Press Releases 13 to 21
PRESS RELEASE 21 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. 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. PRESS RELEASE 17 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. 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) See here the updated maps 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.
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09/06/2009 - 10h49
Press Release- English
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.
NAVAL SOCIAL COMMUNICATION CENTER
AERONAUTICAL SOCIAL COMMUNICATION CENTER
Press Release 20
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.
NAVAL SOCIAL COMMUNICATION CENTER
AERONAUTICAL SOCIAL COMMUNICATION CENTER
PRESS RELEASE 18
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 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.
NAVAL SOCIAL COMMUNICATION CENTER
AERONAUTICAL SOCIAL COMMUNICATION CENTER
NAVAL SOCIAL COMMUNICATION CENTER
AERONAUTICAL SOCIAL COMMUNICATION CENTER
PRESS RELEASE 16
The Brazilian Navy Command and Aeronautical Command inform the following facts that occurred this morning, 6th of June of 2009:
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
https://www.mar.mil.br/diversos/arquivos/apresentacao_para_imprensa_AFR_447-A%2006.06.09.ppt
NAVAL SOCIAL COMMUNICATION CENTER
AERONAUTICAL SOCIAL COMMUNICATION CENTER
Press Release 14
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
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.
NAVAL SOCIAL COMMUNICATION CENTER
AERONAUTICAL SOCIAL COMMUNICATION CENTER
