The final report issued Thursday by the French Bureau of Investigation and Analysis blames a series of errors by the pilots that directly led to Air France Flight 447 crashing into the Atlantic Ocean on June 1, 2009.
The crash of the Airbus A330-200 flying from Brazil to France killed 228 people and is described as the worst air disaster in French history.
Thursday’s report says the pilots failed to react correctly to problems with the airplane’s speed sensors and failed to — and were not trained to — make corrective maneuvers when things went wrong.
Flight 447’s gauges gave conflicting air speed readings minutes before the crash, and as the plane began to stall and lose altitude, the pilots “pulled up” to point the nose upward, which is the exact opposite of what a pilot is supposed to do during a stall.
Leaked cockpit recordings show the pilots panicking as things began to go wrong, as one pilot pulls up on the controls despite an audible computer voice repeating the word “Stall!”
The co-pilot yells “climb, climb, climb,” and the pilot answers “but I’ve been pulling back on the stick for a while now.”
The plane fell 38,000 feet in 3:30.
The report issues recommendations for proper training of pilots and corrected instruments for planes. But mainly, aviation professionals and enthusiasts will likely focus on the crew of Flight 447’s lack of situational awareness and lack of coolness under pressure, the likes of which helped “Sully” Sullenberger successfully ditch US Airways Flight 1549 in the Hudson River in 2009, saving all 155 aboard after a bird strike.