Air France switches to new plane speed sensors

[June 15, 2009]  PARIS (AP) -- A pilots' union official says Air France has replaced the air speed sensors on its entire fleet of Airbus A330 and A340 long-haul aircraft.

Investigators looking into the crash of Air France Flight 447 last month have so far focused on the possibility that external speed monitors -- called Pitot tubes -- iced over and gave false readings to the plane's computers.

Air France pledged to replace older models of the Pitots on its A330 and A340 planes by the end of this month, after pilots complained that the change, which began in May, was not proceeding quickly enough.

Eric Derivry, a spokesman for the SNPL pilot's union, said Monday the entire fleet is now equipped with the newer sensors.

[Associated Press]

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