Pieces of an Air France airliner that crashed in early June arrived in France late on Tuesday for examination as investigators seek a cause for the mishap, local media reported.

More than 640 pieces of wreckage were sent by cargo ship to Pauillac City in southeastern of France and will be transported to the CEAT aeronautical laboratory in Toulouse for inspections by French investigators.

The shipment contained a nearly intact tail, an engine cover, uninflated life vests, seats and kitchen items, according to local media.

The Air France A330 Airbus crashed into the Atlantic Ocean, more than 1,450 kilometers off Brazil's northeastern coast on June 1. All 228 people aboard the plane, including nine Chinese citizens, died.

French crash investigators on July 2 issued a preliminary report into the crash, finding that problems with the plane's speed sensors were one of several factors in the crash. The report said the plane hit the ocean intact and belly first at a high rate of speed.

Experts have found no signs of an explosion or terrorist act.

(Xinhua News Agency July 15, 2009)