Air France Flight Likely Disintegrated

According to the AP, Air France told relatives of Flight 447 passengers that the jetliner broke apart either in mid-air or when it hit the ocean and that "they must abandon hope that anyone survived." A service was held at Notre Dame in Paris for relatives and Air France employees; French President Nicolas Sarkozy also attended. More debris was apparently found in the Atlantic Ocean yesterday, about 55 miles from the wreckage initially spotted. The NY Times reports the search for the black boxes, which transmit beeps for about 3.1 miles, may be difficult, "The ocean is more than four miles down in some parts of the area, and, while water is an excellent transmitter of sound, the sound waves are reflected at boundary layers where the water changes temperature." The Times also refers to former former Air Force meteorologist Timothy Vasquez's Weathergraphics info at the time of the crash. Vasquez said, "I don’t see anything unusual about these storms. Planes have flown through a lot worse; I’ve seen worse squall lines in Kansas and Missouri." On the other hand, some analysts suggest the weather could have been overwhelming.