Manslaughter charges dropped against Air France over 2009 crash
Manslaughter charges have been dropped against Air France and Airbus over the 2009 crash that killed all 228 people on board.
The Airbus 330 aircraft was flying from Rio de Janeiro to Paris when it stalled in a storm and plunged into the sea.
Victims of the relatives had blamed the Flight AF447 crew for losing control after the plane’s speed sensors froze. Among other errors, the crew had pointed the nose of the aircraft upwards when it stalled instead of down.
But magistrates looking into the charges decided there weren’t enough grounds to prosecute.
The victims’ families say they plan to appeal.
A report by the French aviation authority concluded crew had acted inappropriately but also found faults with the Airbus 330’s air-speed sensors had confused the pilots.
Air France has since replaced speed sensors on its fleet of Airbus aircraft with a newer model.
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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