The Fall
of Icarus:
Flight 447

Microsite Concept

An interactive documentary experience of Air France Flight 447.

After reading the official cockpit transcript detailin the conversation between the Captain and co-pilot of Air France 447 during the last 3 minutes before it crashed into the Atlantic ocean – killing everyone on board. It was heart-breaking, infuriating and utterly gripping.

The questions was then asked, what if we turned this into a fully immersive and very intense web experience? By taking advantage of digita technology, we could tell an even more descriptive, unsettling and educational version of this story.

Project Trailer

Introducing the story.

The story begins with a documentary piece highlighting the moments that lead up to and including the disappearance of the aircraft. This leads into an interactive cockpit setting to experience what went wrong.

Going beyond the transcript.

By gathering all the data available via the BEA on Flight 447 we are able to combine the cockpi voice recorder transcript with the recovered flight data recorder information. This helps us paint a larger picture of what happened aboard Flight 447. Combining the data we can put the user in the cockpit with the pilots to not only read what was said but also understand what theywere seeing on the instrument panel.

Telling two sides of the story.

In addition to combining the transcript with the aircraft data we can bring to life the investigative side of the incident. Using the findings from the investigation we can showcase what exactly was happening to the aircraft. With 3D and animation we take the user out of the cockpit and explain the state of the aircraft from a technical and investigative point of view.

Search and recovery.

Using footage and photos provided by the BEA we conclude the experience by showcasing the search and recovery mission. From finding the wreckage to the recovery of the black boxes 13,000 ft under the ocean. The process, which took years to complete, was one of the largest and most comprehensive search and recovery efforts in aviation history.