AF Flight 447 Pilot Was 'Dangerously Fatigued' | Aero-News Network
Aero-News Network
RSS icon RSS feed
podcast icon MP3 podcast
Subscribe Aero-News e-mail Newsletter Subscribe

Airborne Unlimited -- Most Recent Daily Episodes

Episode Date

Airborne-Monday

Airborne-Tuesday

Airborne-Wednesday Airborne-Thursday

Airborne-Friday

Airborne On YouTube

Airborne-Unlimited-07.07.25

Airborne-NextGen-07.08.25

AirborneUnlimited-07.09.25

Airborne-FlightTraining-07.10.25

AirborneUnlimited-07.11.25

Mon, Mar 18, 2013

AF Flight 447 Pilot Was 'Dangerously Fatigued'

Report Says He Complained About Sleeping Only An Hour Before The Flight

The pilot of the A330 flying as AF447 in July of 2009 had slept only an hour before departing Rio de Janeiro for Paris. The information was revealed this week in the French news magazine Le Point, which according to the U.K. newspaper The Daily Mail obtained a previously-unreleased judicial report that indicates pilot Marc Dubois told the other pilots on board the flight that he had slept only an hour the previous night. "One hour ... it's not enough," the recording reportedly says.

The report indicates that both co-pilots were also "dangerously tired."

According to the judicial report, Dubois was "grumbling" less than 90 minutes into the flight about not getting enough sleep. He had taken a rest break when the A330 encountered icing and its airspeed sensors failed. The French aviation safety agency's official report indicates that the "captain had failed in his duties" and prevented co-pilots Pierre-Cedric Bonin and David Robert "from reacting appropriately."

The 365-page judicial report stems from a criminal inquiry in which Air France and Airbus could eventually be charged with manslaughter. Air France has been ordered to pay the equivalent of $181,700 to the families of each person fatally injured when the airplane impacted the water as compensation, but that figure is expected to rise substantially. The accident has resulted in changes in the A330 airspeed sensor system, as well as training procedures by Air France.

(Image courtesy BEA)

FMI: www.bea.aero/en/index.php

Advertisement

More News

NTSB Final Report: Aviat A1

Airplane Bounced About 3 Ft Then Touched Back Down And Then, With No Brakes Applied, The Airplane Began Veering To The Left Analysis: The pilot entered the airport traffic pattern >[...]

ANN's Daily Aero-Linx (07.08.25)

Aero Linx: British Microlight Aircraft Association (BMAA) The primary focus within all aviation activity is SAFETY. In all aspects of our sport SAFETY must come first, whether it b>[...]

Classic Aero-TV: Fly Corvair’s Reliable Engine Alternative

From SnF25 (YouTube Edition): William Wynne Builds Practical Aircraft Engines on the Corvair Platform Seeking an affordable alternative to the traditional aircraft engine options, >[...]

ANN FAQ: Contributing To Aero-TV

How To Get A Story On Aero-TV News/Feature Programming How do I submit a story idea or lead to Aero-TV? If you would like to submit a story idea or lead, please contact Jim Campbel>[...]

Classic Aero-TV: CiES Fuel-Quantity and e-Throttle Systems Praised

From 2023 (YouTube Edition): Bridge of CiES CiES Inc. is a Bend, Oregon-based designer and manufacturer of modular embedded aircraft systems and sensors. The company’s fuel-l>[...]

blog comments powered by Disqus



Advertisement

Advertisement

Podcasts

Advertisement

© 2007 - 2025 Web Development & Design by Pauli Systems, LC