The Paris Court of Appeal found planemaker Airbus and Air France guilty of manslaughter in the 2009 crash of Flight AF447 into the Atlantic Ocean. About this Reports BBC News.
The court ruled that the airline and the manufacturer of the crashed plane were “solely responsible” for the accident. They were sentenced to the maximum possible fines under this article – 225 thousand euros. The families of some victims criticized the amount and described these fines as a symbolic punishment.
In April 2023, a Paris court found the companies not guilty.
An Air France Airbus A330-203, flight AF447 from Rio de Janeiro to Paris, crashed in June 2009. The plane crashed into the Atlantic Ocean. All 216 passengers and 12 crew members were killed. On board the plane were citizens of France, Brazil, Germany, the United States, Great Britain and Ireland.
The wreckage of the plane was found after lengthy searches in a section of the seabed with an area of about 10,000 square kilometers. The flight recorder was found only in 2011.
In 2012, French investigators concluded that the disaster was caused by inconsistency and poor crew training, as well as faulty speed sensors that became icy. The pilots, according to investigators, were disoriented by incorrect speed readings, and as a result, when the plane began to lose speed, they mistakenly pointed the nose of the plane up instead of down. As BBC News noted, after the crash, pilot training programs were changed and sensors in the planes were replaced.
Air France and Airbus have repeatedly denied the accusations and said they would appeal the ruling if found guilty. Air France, in particular, said there was no reason to question the competence of the pilots operating the flight.