- Pilot was on a break when engines began to fail and never made it back to his seat
- Two co-pilots battled to keep Flight 447 in the air as engines stalled and it plummeted into the Atlantic Ocean
Hundreds of passengers on board an Air France jet endured a three-and-a-half minute plunge to their deaths after its engines stalled while the pilot was resting, it emerged today.
The terrifying end of Flight 447 came after it malfunctioned in a heavy storm en route from Rio de Janeiro to Paris two years ago.
All 228 people on board, including crew, died after it hit the Atlantic at a speed of 180 feet a second.
Helpless: Pilot Marc Dubois had taken a break four hours into the flight from Rio de Janeiro to Paris and was unable to return to his seat when it went down
junior pilots ended up trying to save the plane.
The pilot, Marc Dubois, had been taking a break when, four hours into the flight, a co-pilot aged 32 reported heavy turbulence, announcing the problem to crew and getting passengers to fasten seatbelts. Another co-pilot, aged 37, was also assisting.
Mr Dubois returned to the cockpit less than two minutes after the autopilot cut out in a growing storm.
However, recorded conversations show that he never actually returned to his seat, or took over the controls - instead leaving the flying to his assistants.
He had clocked up 11,000 flying hours over his airline career, while his more junior counterparts had 6,500 and 2,900 hours respectively.
The co-pilot tried to fly above the storm, but instead the plane began plunging seawards, with its nose pointed up at about 15 degrees, while rolling from left to right.
By this time an alarm was sounding because of the stalled engine, with the co-pilot announcing that the aircraft was at an altitude of just 10,000 feet.
Horrific: The black box had lain 12,000ft below the Atlantic after the Air France jet sank
The co-pilots pointed out that the Airbus's speed sensors had failed, and continued to pull back on the controls with the engines set to full thrust as a third stall warning sounded.
Both Air France and Airbus are facing manslaughter charges following the tragedy, with a judicial investigation led by Paris judges under way.
A spokesman for Air France said it was 'normal' for long haul pilots to take breaks on flights.
The BEA said its preliminary findings from the flight recorders had not yet established a cause for accident.
Mr Dubois was among some 51 victims retrieved from the Atlantic following the June 1, 2009 crash.
The black boxes had been lying some two-and-a-half miles under the sea, together with the bodies of victims, who included five Britons and three Irish doctors.
