AVIATION/ AF A330 ISSUES MAYDAY OVER ATLANTIC

An AIR FRANCE A330 issued a MAYDAY after encountering severe turbulence while enroute over the Atlantic Ocean yesterday. AF Flight 445 was on International Service from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to Paris, France, and had departed Rio late on Sunday evening, November 29. In the early morning hours yesterday, the A330 was flying at 38000 feet, near waypoint DEKON, and about 680 miles NE of Fortaleza, Brazil, when the crew issued a MAYDAY on the International Emergency Frequency. The crew reported severe turbulence and that they were descending. The aircraft was able to continue on to Paris, where it landed about 6.5 hours after the emergency declaration. Air France would not confirm that Flight 445 had declared MAYDAY, however the crew of TAM Flight 8055, on service from Paris to Rio, reported that they heard the crew declare the MAYDAY. No other information has been released on the incident. (SK COMMENT: This incident is EXTREMELY similar to what may have taken place onboard AF Flight 447, which crashed while over the Atlantic on June 1. Both aircraft were A330s, and both aircraft were on the same flight route. Both aircraft encountered severe turbulence, with heavy storms nearby. The route between Rio and Paris goes over a section of the Atlantic Ocean that is known for heavy thunderstorms and severe turbulence. It would be a safe bet to assume that this incident will be fully probed by both Brazilian and French aviation officials).