Air France Airbus A330-200 encountered heavy turbulence . The plane was flying from Rio de Janeiro to Paris when it lost contact with air traffic controllers at around 1:30 a.m. local time (0830 GMT). Watch more about the weather systems » . Some experts have said that a lightning strike was a possible cause . Flight 447 , traveling from Rio de Janeiro to Paris , was carrying 228 people .
Air France Airbus A330-200 encountered heavy turbulence . The plane was flying from Rio de Janeiro to Paris when it lost contact with air traffic controllers at around 1:30 a.m. local time (0830 GMT). Some experts have said that a lightning strike was a possible cause . Flight 447 , traveling from Rio de Janeiro to Paris , was carrying 228 people .