French President Nicolas Sarkozy admitted that the chances of finding any survivors from missing Air France Flight 447 are “very low,” as family members and press crowded Charles de Gaulle International Airport waiting for any news on their missing loved ones.
Last known contact from Flight 447 occurred just after 9:20PM EST, transmitting a report of electrical failure before dropping off the radar. From the Associated Press, a timeline of the flight prior to its disappearance:
7:03 p.m. local time Sunday: Air France says plane left Rio de Janeiro. Brazilian Air Force says plane left at 7:30 p.m.
8:30 p.m. Sunday: last contact with Brazil air traffic control.
9 p.m. Sunday: plane entered zone of storms and high turbulence
9:14 p.m. Sunday: Air France receives automatic message indicating electrical circuit malfunction.
Midnight-1 a.m. Monday: French military radar begins searching for plane.
2:30 a.m.: Air France sets up crisis center
Air France has confirmed 228 people on board, the majority Brazilian and French. South American president of tire company Michelin, Luis Roberto Anastacio, is listed among the missing.
The aircraft, an Airbus A330, has not been located and a cause for the disaster has not yet been pinpointed. François Brouse of Air France indicated lightning as a likely cause of the crash.
