Air France pilots lost vital speed data to controllers . Air crash investigators at the Paris-based BEA have been working on the theory that the speed sensors , known as pitot tubes or probes , malfunctioned because of ice at high altitude . Since the accident , Air France has replaced the pitots on its Airbus fleet with a newer model .
Air France pilots lost vital speed data to controllers . Since the accident , Air France has replaced the pitots on its Airbus fleet with a newer model .