Brazil’s air force says a helicopter recovered the first debris from Air France Flight 447

FERNANDO DE NORONHA, Brazil — A Brazilian helicopter crew recovered the first wreckage from Air France Flight 447 on Thursday, pulling a cargo pallet from the sea. No sign of human remains have been spotted, and Air France has told families that the jetliner broke apart, killing all 228 people on board.

Air France chief tells families plane broke apart, no hope of survivors in Atlantic crash

FERNANDO DE NORONHA, Brazil — Air France has told families of passengers on Flight 447 that the jetliner broke apart and they must abandon hope that anyone survived, a grief counselor said Thursday as Brazilian ships neared debris bobbing in the Atlantic.

Air France tells families plane broke apart, no hope of survivors in crash over Atlantic

FERNANDO DE NORONHA, Brazil — Air France has told families of passengers on Flight 447 that the jetliner broke apart and they must abandon hope that anyone survived, a grief counselor said Thursday as military aircraft tried to narrow their search for the remains of the plane.

Final messages from Air France jet indicate plane likely broke apart above ocean

FERNANDO DE NORONHA, Brazil — Military planes located new debris from Air France Flight 447 Wednesday while investigators focused on a nightmarish ordeal in which the jetliner broke up over the Atlantic as it flew through a violent storm.

Ships struggle through high seas, heavy winds to reach Flight 447 debris; black boxes elusive

FERNANDO DE NORONHA, Brazil — Military planes located more debris from an Air France jet on Wednesday as the first navy ship arrived at the scene in the mid-Atlantic. But high seas and heavy winds slowed the recovery effort and delayed the arrival of crucial deep-water submersibles. Search vessels from several nations pushed toward the floating debris, including a 23-foot (seven-meter) chunk of plane and a 12-mile-long (20-kilometer-long) oil slick that Brazilian pilots spotted from the air.

Brazil: New debris from crashed Air France jet spotted, but no bodies seen

FERNANDO DE NORONHA, Brazil — A Brazilian air force spokesman says more debris from the crashed Air France jet has been spotted.

Official says Air France black boxes may never be found; high seas hamper search at crash site

FERNANDO DE NORONHA, Brazil — Military planes and ships struggled through high seas and heavy winds Wednesday and found more debris from an Air France jet, while an investigator said the black boxes may never be found in the depths of the Atlantic.

Brazil, France press to recover remains of Air France jet spotted in mid-Atlantic

FERNANDO DE NORONHA, Brazil — Military planes and ships from Brazil and France homed in Wednesday on the bobbing wreckage of an Air France jet, as investigators tried to determine what brought the plane and its 228 passengers down in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

French confirm sighting of Air France plane debris in mid-Atlantic as recovery begins

FERNANDO DE NORONHA, Brazil — French officials say debris found in the Atlantic is that of missing Air France Flight 447.

Debris found in mid-Atlantic confirms crash of Air France Flight 447; daunting recovery begins

FERNANDO DE NORONHA, Brazil — An airplane seat, a fuel slick and pieces of white debris scattered over three miles of open ocean marked the site in the mid-Atlantic on Tuesday where Air France Flight 447 plunged to its doom, Brazil’s defense minister said.

Brazilian military pilots searching for missing Air France jet spot debris in Atlantic Ocean

FERNANDO DE NORONHA, Brazil — Brazilian military pilots hunting Tuesday for a missing Air France jet spotted an airplane seat, an orange buoy and signs of fuel in a part of the Atlantic Ocean with depths of up to three miles. Brazil’s Navy said three commercial ships in the area were joining the search and France said it would send a ship capable of deep-water exploration. A U.S. spy plane was also diverted from drug interdiction efforts to help with the effort.

Brazil military spots debris in mid-Atlantic; civilian ships join search for Air France jet

FERNANDO DE NORONHA, Brazil — Brazilian military pilots hunting Tuesday for a missing Air France jet spotted an airplane seat, an orange buoy and signs of fuel in a part of the Atlantic Ocean with depths of up to three miles.

Missing Air France jet hit by electric fault (Fourth Lead)

PARIS - An Air France plane missing over the Atlantic with 228 people aboard reported electrical problems in stormy weather before it lost contact, a media report said citing an airline official.

Air France jet missing with 228 people over Atlantic after running into thunderstorms

SAO PAULO — An Air France jet carrying 228 people from Rio de Janeiro to Paris ran into a towering wall of thunderstorms and disappeared over the Atlantic Ocean. French President Nicolas Sarkozy told families of those aboard Monday that “prospects of finding survivors are very small.”

French airliner missing over Atlantic, 228 on board (Third Lead)

PARIS/RIO DE JANEIRO - An Air France flight with 228 people on board has been lost over the Atlantic Monday morning, sparking a major search mission off the Brazilian coast.

Air France jet with 228 people missing over Atlantic amid reports of strong turbulence

SAO PAULO, Brazil — A missing Air France jet carrying 228 people from Rio de Janeiro to Paris ran into lightning and strong thunderstorms over the Atlantic Ocean, officials said Monday. Brazil began a search mission off its northeastern coast.