French authorities say search teams have recovered 75 more bodies from the wreckage of an Air France jet that crashed into the Atlantic, two years ago while traveling from Rio de Janeiro to Paris.
A total of 127 bodies now have been recovered since the accident on June 1, 2009.
Two hundred twenty eight people were aboard the Airbus when it plunged into the ocean, killing everyone on board. France's aviation safety agency has said the aircraft lost key speed data and stalled three times before plummeting. According to information from the analysis of the flight data recorders recovered from the crash, the plane dropped at a speed of more than 3,000 meters a minute before crashing into the water.
The analysis showed the plane's speed displays appeared to malfunction, before the aircraft began its fatal plunge.
The two co-pilots were flying the plane at an altitude of 11,600 meters when the problems began, but the captain was out of the cockpit taking a standard rest break. He was called and returned to the flight deck, but was not at the controls when the plane crashed.
A preliminary inquiry conducted prior to recovering the data recorders pointed to a possible icing problem with the probes measuring air speed. But there has been no definitive conclusion as to the cause of the crash.
Last week, The Wall Street Journal newspaper reported that Airbus had registered 32 instances of problems involving ice buildup on similar aircraft between 2003 and 2009. It also reported that preliminary findings pointed to pilot error in the deadly crash.
In March, a French judge placed Airbus under investigation for possible involuntary manslaughter charges in the 2009 crash.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and AFP.
