BULLETIN AT 6:52 A.M. ET:  Air France flight 447, from Rio to Paris has disappeared over the Atlantic, the airline says.  The Airbus 330 was carrying 228-231 people, depending on the report.  A search is underway. 

That is all we know right now.

COMMENT:  It is extremely rare for a plane to just "disappear."  Planes do not fall out of the sky without reason, and there usually is some distress signal, or, if the flight was over land, smoke coming from a wreckage.

Inevitably, there will be suspicion of terrorism, but we urge caution.  Let the search continue.

June 1, 2009