The technical instructions for this replacement will be available in the next week

Two months after the crash of flight AF 447, and while the investigation of the Office of investigations and analysis (BEA) has not yet provided any clarification, a new rebound boosts the controversy on the Roses probes - alias Pitot tubes-, suspected of being the cause of the disaster. Remained rather quiet until then, the Agency European security air (EASA) has effect threw a keypad in the mare, in announcing Friday that it would order "from here to fourteen days" the prohibition of probes Pitot of the same model as those present on the A330 for Air France - the model AA of French equipment manufacturer Thales - and their replacement by at least two probes of mark Goodrich, the three are the Airbus A330 and A340. For its part, Airbus announced the same day sent a recommendation to all its customers, the same advice them.

In total, some 200 Airbus A330s and A340s on the thousand currently in service and 50 companies would be affected by this measure. Starting with Air France. A few days after the tragedy, the company had already decided, under the pressure of several unions of drivers, to accelerate the replacement of the old Thales probes by the new model (BA) from the same manufacturer on its long-haul Airbus, after having already done the same, as of 2007, on all of the Airbus A320 family airliners.

Not less than 35 incidents

Air France will therefore have to proceed to the replacement of the probes of its 16 A330 and 19 A340. "The technical instructions for this replacement will be available in the next week." "Air France then proceed to the change of the A330 and A340 fleet", indicated the company Friday, without waiting for the text of the EASA.

There is still a month, EASA and Airbus were yet did not have sufficient evidence to require the General replacement of Thales probes. In his prérapport of July 3 on the accident, the BEA said, for its part, that there was "still no link" between these probes and the crash of flight AF 447. As the Director General of Air France-KLM, Pierre - Henri Gourgeon, stating "do not be satisfied that the probes are the cause of the accident.

Yet, not less than 35 incidents involving Thales probes had already listed around the world, including nine in Air France, causing the total or partial loss of aerodynamic flight data on crossing of heavy rains or icing. However, no aircraft equipped with American probes Goodrich would experienced such incidents.

Until now, these problems were however contained old Thales models but, on 13 July, a new incident on an A320 of Air with France of the new models had relaunched the debate on the reliability of all Thales probes. Following this incident, the national Union of airline, majority in Air France pilots, had requested the change of the probes Thales by Goodrich on the whole fleet. Would have this last episode sufficed to convince Airbus and the EFSA to apply the precautionary principle But then, why not have reacted to the previous 35 incidents on AA probes and why restrict this obligation to the only long-haul aircraft