( CNN ) -- Pilots of the Air France flight that crashed in 2009 and plummeted 38,000 ft in just three minutes and 30 seconds , lost vital speed data , France 's Bureau of Investigation and Analysis ( BEA ) said Friday . Pilots on the aircraft got conflicting air speeds in the minutes leading up to the crash , the interim reports states . 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 says BEA . The French airline said it was investigating the cause of a computer glitch that caused its planes to lose valuable speed.