Guide to Air France 447: Where Things Stand

June 18, 2009 — -- Air France flight 447 crashed en route to Paris after leaving Rio de Janeiro May 31. Nineteen days later, here's the very latest on the search for clues about the accident.

See ABC News photo gallery of the search effort here.

Watch ABC News Video on the Crash:
Air France Crash Questions Sensor Safety (June 9, 2009)
Search Intensifies for Black Boxes (June 8, 2009)
Plane Disappears Off Radar (June 1, 2009)

Read ABC News Stories on the Crash:
French Sub Joins Black Box Search (June 10, 2009)
Carriers Rush to Replace Speed Sensors (June 9, 2009)
Jet's Tail Could Lead to Answers (June 8, 2009)
Air France Official: 'We Can Fear the Worst' (June 1, 2009)

Accident investigators have said speed sensors malfunctioned on the flight, and the problem could have caused the plane to fly dangerously slow or fast. On Thursday, Pierre-Henri Gourgeon, Air France-KLM managing director, said, "We cannot, however, assume any link between the sensors and the causes of the accident." Meantime, airlines worldwide, including Delta, US Airways and United, are scrambling to replace speed sensors on a number of Airbus jets.

Airbus recommended replacing the speed sensor 17 months ago after reports that they'd malfunctioned or iced over, but it wasn't an urgent problem. On Monday, June 8, Airbus sent a note to its customers specifying that the Airbus A330 and A340 were "safe," even if still equipped with the older speed sensors. The sensors had not yet been changed on Air France Flight 447.

But it's too early to rule out terrorism entirely, officials have said. On June 5, French Defense Minister Herve Morin said there was "no element or lead that would allow to corroborate this, but the ongoing investigation never ruled out this because the main threat today against our democracies is terrorism."

A bomb threat on an Air France flight from South America to Paris fueled speculation about terrorism, but there is no evidence of a similar threat to the accident flight. The threatened May 27 flight from Buenos Aires to Paris was inspected before takeoff and was allowed to depart after investigators found nothing of concern.

Death Knell for Geese Near N.Y. Airports (June 17, 2009)
FAA Holds Regional Airline Safety Summit (June 15, 2008)
Capt. Sully Sullenberger Recounts Landing on Hudson River (June 9, 2009)
Regional Airlines Under Scrutiny (May 14, 2009)
The Black Holes of Plane Crashes (June 4, 2009)
Fear of Flying Causes Families to Split Flights (June 4, 2009)

ABC News' Lisa Stark, Christophe Schpoliansky, Zoe Magee, Ammu Kannampilly, Renata Araujo and The Associated Press contributed to this report.