Air France 447 jet did not break apart in the air

Alain Bouillard, who is leading the investigation, said an analysis of the wreckage of the plane that have been recovered suggests that "the plane seems to have hit the surface of the water in the line of flight with a strong vertical acceleration."

Bouillard speaking on behalf of France's BEA air accident board, said the search for the flight recorders, or black boxes, from the crashed jet would continue until July 10.

The Airbus A330 crashed into the Atlantic after running into thunderstorms en route from Rio de Janeiro to Paris killing all 228 people on board.