Everyone is looking for answers as to how, exactly, AirFrance Flight 447 with 238 people aboard could have gone down this week after it took off from Brazil, but unfortunately, it may be quite awhile before we get any.

After plane debris was found yesterday about 400 miles northeast of some Brazilian islands, Brazilian and French military planes are continuing the search. But Paul-Louis Arslanian, a French crash investigator leading that country’s investigation, said today that the flight data and voice recorders of the Airbus 330, which could contain vital clues as to what exactly happened in the sky, may be lost forever, since the plane presumably crashed in the middle of the ocean. But officials said there appeared to be no problems with the plane before takeoff Sunday.

One expert told The Guardian that the search for the data and voice recorders could be among the hardest recoveries since the search for the Titanic. The likelihood of survivors is also slim at this point, officials have said.

"If you think how long it took to find the Titanic and that the debris would be smaller, you are looking for a needle in a haystack," said Derek Clarke, who designs and builds military and commercial diving equipment.

When all is said and done, officials hope to have many more answers for the families and loved ones of those on board by the end of this month.

“Today, we don’t know what happened. It’s all pure speculation," said Arslanian. "Let’s let the real experts get to work. We will give the information as soon as we have it and we have confidence in it."

Watch CNN video below on the search for the plane’s communication system: