The missing Air France airliner with 228 people on board reported problems with an electrical storm before losing contact.

With story from CNN

According the latest CNN posting

“The Airbus A330-200 sent an automatic message signaling an electric circuit failure as it hit turbulence early in its 11-hour flight from Rio de Janeiro to Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris, Air France CEO Pierre-Henri Gourgeon told a news conference.

A Brazilian Air Force statement said Air France had related that the plane also suffered a pressure failure.”

Once the plane traveled below the radar, it would be hard to track. The pilot may have moved the plane lower if he lost pressure at a high altitude. This could also cause the plane to lose radio contact.

The AirBus is a safe plane. Something more happened. “It is out of the ordinary,” said Lucich. “Something more drastic must have happened.”

Lucich held out hope the plane might have landed safely on the ocean like the one that landed safely on the Hudson River in NYC.

Video copyright by CNN and used in a news story as fair use.

Updated January 5, 2010 to fix broken link.