Air France Flight 447 went missing over the Atlantic Ocean on June 1, 2009 and is presumed to have crashed. The missing plane was caught in severe turbulence and an automated electrical failure alert was sent out shortly before Flight 447 disappeared from radar. Air France has already issued an official statement of condolence to the families of all on board.

Air France Flight 447 left Rio de Janeiro bound for Paris and around 2am local time on June 1, 2009 it disappeared from radar. Brazilian, African, Spanish and French air traffic control centers all tried to make contact with missing flight Air France 447 but there was no reply. French military air traffic control center also tried to detect the missing plane but found nothing.

Air France Flight 447, an Airbus 330-220, had 228 people on board at the time it went missing; 216 passengers and 12 crew. The captain of flight 447 was very experienced with over 11,000 hours logged on the Airbus 330 and 340 models. The support crew was equally experienced with a combined 9,600 hours on the Airbus 330-220 between the two of them.

The plane used for Air France Flight 447 was last serviced on April 16, 2009, and no safety issues were identified at the time; it first went into service in April of 2005. The loss of Flight 447 marks the biggest single death toll for the airline in its history, and the largest loss of life in a civilian aviation accident in a decade.

The missing plane has not yet been found, and while Air France officials and the families of those on board are bracing for the worst, the fate of the 228 people is still not known. The families of the passengers and crew are awaiting news from the search for Air France Flight 447 together in a special area at Paris-Charles de Gaulle Terminal 2.

Debris found in the Atlantic Ocean June 2, 2009 has been confirmed to be that of the crashed plane.

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