‘Avoid Flying into storms’

Aviation experts are debating whether lightning or turbulence may have caused have crash of Air France Flight 447.

The A330, flying from Rio de Janeiro to Paris, encountered heavy turbulence about four hours after takeoff. It vanished shortly after it was due to have flown through a belt of turbulence and frequent storms at the Equator.

“You don’t go into this sort of weather lightly. It’s nasty for the passengers and can be alarming for us,” said Tim Armstrong, a former 747 captain for Singapore Airlines.

Evert van Zwol, president of the Dutch pilots’ association said pilots are trained to do whatever is necessary to avoid thunderstorms. “I think most pilots when asked will confirm that it is very unlikely to fly through a thunderstorm cell,” Van Zwol said. “It is difficult to read your instruments,” he added.