The correctional court of Paris has acquitted on Monday the manufacturer Airbus and the company Air France for an air disaster that occurred on June 1, 2009 that cost the lives of 228 people. The ruling is controversial because the relatives of the victims wanted the criminal responsibility of both companies to be determined for the technical and piloting errors that led to the tragedy.
Air France flight 447 was on the Rio de Janeiro-Paris route. The Airbus A330-200 plunged into the ocean after passing through a storm zone. The investigation determined that the speed probes had frozen and stopped working, also giving an erroneous altitude. The pilots did not know how to detect the problem or react properly when the plane destabilized.
The court determined, however, that despite the errors it had not been possible to demonstrate “a certain causal link” with the accident, so the companies were acquitted of involuntary manslaughter, as requested by the prosecution. Airbus and Air France could have been sentenced to fines of 225,000 euros. This ruling does not exempt them from civil liability and compensation.
After learning of the ruling, Air France reiterated that “the safety of its customers and its crews is its absolute priority” and that it “will keep in its memory the memory of the victims and expresses its deepest compassion.”
It took almost two years to locate the black boxes of the wrecked device, at a depth of 3,900 meters, after an intense search with air and naval means, including submarines. People of 33 nationalities traveled on the Airbus, including 72 French and 58 Brazilians. The accident is the deadliest ever for a French company.
Investigations revealed that there had been similar incidents with speed probes in the months preceding the crash of Flight 447. During the trial it became clear that Air France pilots were not sufficiently informed of the problem to be able to react adequately if it occurred and that Airbus underestimated the severity of the defect.
The lawyer for the civil parties, David Koubbi, strongly deplored the acquittal, and in particular considered it “scandalous” that the prosecution itself requested the exoneration of the companies.