• Tweeter
  • republish

AF447: the hunt for the flight Rio-Paris, disappeared in June 2009 over the Atlantic. Fabrice Gardel / Simon Kessler

Ten years after the crash of the plane Rio-Paris, judges in charge of the investigation ordered a dismissal for Airbus and Air France, to the chagrin of the families of victims. On June 1, 2009, flight AF447 between Brazil and France had crashed in the Atlantic, causing the death of 228 passengers and crew members.

At the origin of the disaster, the in-flight icing of Pitot speed sensors of the Airbus A330. It had led to a disruption of the speed measurements of the aircraft which had disoriented the pilots until the stall of the aircraft. In 2011, Airbus and Air France were indicted for "manslaughter" but last July, the Paris prosecutor had finally asked the release for Airbus and a trial, however, for Air France.

He felt that the company was " negligent and reckless " by not giving enough information to its pilots on the procedure in the event of probe anomalies, despite some 15 similar incidents in the months preceding the disaster.

The judges therefore finally ordered a dismissal for both companies.
" This accident is clearly due to a combination of elements that never occurred, and thus highlighted dangers that could not be perceived before this accident, " they said.

For the association of the relatives of the victims, Mutual Aid and Solidarity , this decision is an affront not only for families but also for justice. In a statement, she said the judges ignored some expertise on the role of probes that clearly implied the two companies. " How can one not think that this decision is guided by economic interests superior to those of justice? Asks the association. She decided to appeal.

To read also : Crash of the Rio-Paris flight: the families of the victims are getting impatient