Canadian Investigators Comb Air France Wreckage

Canadian safety investigators continued poring over the wreckage of the first-ever Airbus A340 mishap in Toronto Thursday, looking for clues into the off-the-runway mishap that destroyed the aircraft but left all on board alive.

Early on, Transportation Safety Board investigators said the aircraft was doing about 100 mph on the ground when it skidded off the end of the runway at Pearson International Airport Tuesday. Thrust reversers were confirmed deployed on three of the plane's four engines -- the fourth powerplant was so badly damaged that they were unable to immediately discern whether it, too, had deployed.

As ANN reported in real time, the Air France A340 with 309 people on board was landing during a thunderstorm at Pearson when it went off the end of the runway and into a ravine.

"We are examining the steering and the brake units," TSB Lead Investigator Real Levasseur told Reuters. "It's slow, painful work. Causes to aircraft accidents are always multiple. It's never a single cause."

In the meantime, the planes flight recorders were recovered and sent back to Paris for review. Investigators questioned the co-pilot Thursday, but were unable to speak with the pilot. He remained hospitalized with a back injury suffered in the mishap.

Pearson International was under a "red alert" because of a severe thunderstorm overhead at the time Flight 358 landed, according to authorities.

FMI: www.tsb.gc.ca