Right|250px|An Air France A330. Airbus have announced that they will be willing to contribute between € 12 million and €20 million (about US$16 million to $ 28 million) to fund an extended search for the black boxes from Air France Flight 447. The Airbus A330 jetliner crashed into the Atlantic Ocean in June, killing all 228 people on board. "This is an exceptional accident and an exceptional situation," Schaffrath explained. France's investigative agency BEA has requested financial assistance for the search from both Airbus and Air France. Air France have discussed this possibility with the BEA. Investigators have already given up looking for the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder using the conventional method of tracing audio 'pingers', the batteries of which would have expired after 30–40 days. Efforts are ongoing using sensitive equipment under tow from a French naval vessel, but if this search proves fruitless then the BEA will seek money for a further three-month search. The jet's Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS) was able to transmit information regarding problems on board prior to the crash. The ACARS data suggests that the plane had suffered from a loss of valuable readings including airspeed, leading suspicion to fall on the pitot-static system which supplies various measurements. Airbus had already recommended that one component of this system, the pitot tubes , be replaced on A330s. Air France had not done this on the accident airplane although the entire fleet now features the modified design. Three other incidents have been identified since that may involve similar circumstances. The United States National Transportation Safety Board is probing two over American soil while earlier this month another Air France A330 equipped with the new tubes suffered a similar series of problems enroute from Italy to France.
Right|250px|An Air France A330. Airbus have announced that they will be willing to contribute between 12 million and €20 million (about 16 million to 28 million) to fund an extended search for the black boxes from . The jetliner crashed into the in June, killing all 228 people on board. "This is an exceptional accident and an exceptional situation," Schaffrath explained. France's has requested financial assistance for the search from both Airbus and Air France. Air France have discussed this possibility with the BEA. Investigators have already given up looking for the and using the conventional method of tracing audio 'pingers', the batteries of which would have expired after 30–40 days. Efforts are ongoing using sensitive equipment under tow from a French naval vessel, but if this search proves fruitless then the BEA will seek money for a further three-month search. The jet's (ACARS) was able to transmit information regarding problems on board prior to the crash. The ACARS data suggests that the plane had suffered from a loss of valuable readings including airspeed, leading suspicion to fall on the which supplies various measurements. Airbus had already recommended that one component of this system, the , be replaced on A330s. Air France had not done this on the accident airplane although the entire fleet now features the modified design. Three other incidents have been identified since that may involve similar circumstances. The United States is probing two over American soil while earlier this month another Air France A330 equipped with the new tubes suffered a similar series of problems enroute from Italy to France.
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€
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US$16 million to $
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Air France Flight 447. The Airbus A330
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Atlantic Ocean
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investigative agency BEA
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cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder
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Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System
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pitot-static system
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pitot tubes
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National Transportation Safety Board