Simulation shows harrowing final moments before plane crashed into the sea killing 228 people

A simulation has shown the final moments of an Air France flight before it crashed into the sea.

In 2009, Air France flight AF447 crashed into the sea while flying from Rio De Janeiro to Paris.

The crash killed 12 crew members and 216 passengers who were on board the aircraft.

While flying over the Atlantic Ocean, the plane had gone into a storm and disappeared off the radar.

In just four minutes and 24 seconds, the plane fell some 11,500 metres out of the sky and crashed into the ocean.

It took investigators two years to locate the plane's black box, which contained recordings of Marc Dubois, 58, David Robert, 37, and Pierre-Cédric Bonin, 32, as they voiced their fears.

One pilot could be heard saying: “We’ve lost our speeds. I don’t know what’s happening."

Bonin can then be heard saying: "Let’s go! Pull up, pull up, pull up."

"F***, we're going to crash! It's not true! But what's happening?" Robert said.

It's not clear who spoke next, but the final recording reveals someone saying: "F***, we're dead."

The plane's black box provided insight into what happened. (MEHDI FEDOUACH/AFP via Getty Images)

A simulation of the crash gives an impression of what may have happened in the run-up to the tragedy.

It's thought that the autopilot system had turned off while the plane was at high altitude.

After the autopilot turned off, the plane was left in direct control of the crew.

They held the plane's nose up, an action which sent it into an aerodynamic stall.

This meant that the balance of forces which provide upward thrust and enable a plane to fly was no longer working.

Dubois, the captain, had been asleep at the time. His co-pilots didn't spot the stall and when he awoke, he couldn't act quickly enough to correct the mistake.

Debris from the crash. (ERIC CABANIS/AFP via Getty Images)

The French authority in charge of investigating the crash, the Bureau d’Enquêtes et d’Analyses (BEA), later claimed that the pilots had not responded correctly to the problem.

It was also said that the pilots had not had the proper training to fly the aircraft at a high altitude with the autopilot switched off.

A court later ruled that that Air France and Airbus were not guilty of the manslaughter of those on board.

David Koubbi represented a number of the families of those who died, and said: “It is a signal that you can kill 228 people in an air crash and nobody is at fault.

"The families that I represent are devastated, and this has prevented them from mourning their loved ones."

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• Pilot's chilling final words before plane crashed into the sea killing 228 people