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Plane 'sent 24 error messages' Plane 'sent 24 error messages'
(20 minutes later)
The Air France jet which went missing over the Atlantic sent 24 error messages before it crashed, French investigators say. The Air France jet which went missing over the Atlantic sent 24 error messages minutes before it crashed, French investigators say.
The messages came as the plane's systems shut down, France's top air accident investigator said. Its autopilot was not switched on. Investigators also said the plane's autopilot was not on, though they do not know if it had been switched off or was not working.
French weather experts said there was no evidence the plane, carrying 228 people, hit an "exceptional" storm.French weather experts said there was no evidence the plane, carrying 228 people, hit an "exceptional" storm.
The Airbus A330 vanished en-route from Rio de Janeiro to Paris on Monday.The Airbus A330 vanished en-route from Rio de Janeiro to Paris on Monday.
Brazilian search teams believe they have spotted debris from the plane, but no piece has yet been recovered from the sea. Hopes of locating the plane have been frustrated so far.
On Friday, French Defence Minister Herve Morin said a French submarine was being sent to join in the searsh since it had sonar equipment that could help locate the airliner's flight data recorders. Brazilian search teams first said on Tuesday they may have spotted debris from the plane. But material recovered from the sea on Thursday turned out to be unrelated to the Air France jet.
Efforts are now focusing on the two sonar beacons attached to the flight's black boxes, the BBC's Hugh Schofield reports from Paris.
But at a press conference in Paris, a spokesman for France's accident investigation bureau said there was no guarantee the beacons were still attached to the flight recorders.
He said, given the likely force of the impact of a crash, they could easily have become separated.
On Friday, French Defence Minister Herve Morin said a French submarine was being sent to join in the search since it had sonar equipment that could help locate the airliner's flight data recorders.
The US is also sending specialised listening equipment.