Air France Plane Missing Near Bermuda Triangle

Air France CEO: Aircraft May Have Been a Victim of "Huge Catastrophe"

An Air France plane is missing. The Agence France-Presse reported that an Air France Airbus A330-200 wide-body jet carrying 216 passengers and 12 crew members disappeared off of the radar screens Monday somewhere off of Brazil's Atlantic coast. Flight AF447 out of Rio de Janeiro was headed for Paris.

According to the Mirror, Air France reported that the plane had radioed in that they were going through turbulence. They also reported that a message, "signalling electrical circuit malfunction," was received before it disappeared.

A search for the missing plane is being conducted by the Brazilian air force. Two squadrons are currently involved. A spokesman for the air force told CNN that the search area was approximately 225 miles off the archipelago of Fernando de Noronha.

The French are also involved in the search. The French ambassador to Senegal announced that French aircraft are searching off of the coast of Senegal near Cape Vert (Cape Green).

Airbus issued the statement:

"Airbus regrets to confirm that an Airbus A330-200 operated by Air France has been lost about 3.5 hours after departure. The aircraft was operating a scheduled service...

"In line with ICAO Annex 13 international convention, Airbus has offered full technical assistance to the investigation board. The investigation remains the entire responsibility of the relevant board and it would be inappropriate for Airbus to enter into any form of speculation into the causes of the accident..."

According to CNN, the CEO of Air France, Pierre-Henri Gourgeon, citing the aforementioned electrical problems and turbulence, said that the Airbus most likely was the victim of a "huge catastrophe."

Some have speculated that lightning may have caused the Airbus to crash, but aernautics experts believe the scenario unlikely for a modern aircraft.