Air France Flight 447 debris arrives in France for further examination by crash investigators

Flight 447 debris returned to France

PARIS — Debris from Air France Flight 447 has been brought to France for further examination, the agency investigating the crash said Wednesday.

Flight 447 crashed into the Atlantic Ocean, more than 900 miles (1,450 kilometers) off Brazil’s northeastern coast, on June 1 as it flew from Rio de Janeiro to Paris. All 228 people aboard the Airbus A330 plane died.

A boat carrying the plane’s wreckage docked in the southwestern French port of Pauillac late Tuesday, and will be transferred to a military research center in Toulouse, southern France, the aviation agency, known by its acronym BEA, said in a statement.

A total of 640 parts of the plane have been plucked from the Atlantic Ocean — including a nearly intact tail, an engine cover, uninflated life jackets, seats and kitchen items. The debris was initially held in the Brazilian city of Recife before being sent back.

They will be examined by BEA officials and investigating police.

A preliminary report into the crash said the plane hit the ocean intact and belly first at a high rate of speed.

Ships with high-tech listening devices searched for Flight 447’s cockpit voice and flight data recorders since June 15 but found nothing. The black boxes are built to emit emergency “pings” for about 30 days, and then slowly fade away.

Though the search for the flight recorders by two ships using U.S. listening devices and a French nuclear submarine ended July 10, the BEA said the oceanographic survey ship Pourquoi Pas will begin a new underwater search next week.

The new phase of research will last around a month with the help of diving vehicles and sonar, the agency said.

Without the flight recorders, investigators may never know fully what happened. Investigators have announced no signs of explosion or terrorism.

A total of 50 bodies were recovered before Brazilian authorities called off the search for debris and bodies.