Statement Will Appear On Agency's Website

Media reports from Europe indicate that the French accident investigative agency BEA plans to release preliminary information gleaned from the cockpit voice and flight data recorders of AF Flight 447 on Friday. The agency reportedly plans to post a statement on its website.

The French news service AFP reports that the release is intended to counter "the partial and more or less contradictory information published by the media," according to a BEA e-mail sent to journalists. On its website, BEA says it has "decided to publish a note with information on the first facts established, based on analysis of the data from the flight recorders. This note will be put on line on Friday 27 May at the beginning of the afternoon and will be available in English, French, German and Portuguese. There will be no press briefing."

The recorders are expected to yield answers as to why the Air France A330 went down in the Atlantic Ocean nearly two years ago. French junior transport minister Therry Mariana said last week that the agency expects to know the probable cause of the accident by the end of June.

FMI: www.bea.aero/en/