Prosecutors seek Air France trial over 2009 crash

Air France

A judicial source in Paris confirmed on Wednesday that French prosecutors seek the trial of Air France for unintentional homicide over a 2009 crash that cost 228 lives.

The Airbus 330 200 on Flight 447 from Rio de Janeiro to Paris crashed into the Atlantic on June 1, 2009.

The flight data recorder was recovered from about 4,000 metres depth in 2011.

The following year, French crash investigators concluded that the crew was overwhelmed after contradictory airspeed readings appeared and the autopilot cut out.

The contradictory airspeed readings appeared and the autopilot cut out was probably as a result of airspeed probes becoming iced up.

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The source said Paris prosecutors submitted their final requests in the case to an investigating judge on Friday.

They say Air France should be tried for unintentional homicide because it did not give its crew enough information about previous incidents.

The previous incidents involved airspeed probes and the procedures to be adopted in case of such incidents.

That failure came in a context of failure to ensure pilot training was suitable, insufficient training at high altitude, and operational faults, the prosecutors charged.

The prosecutors said there were no grounds to prosecute European aircraft manufacturer Airbus over the crash.

The investigating judge will decide whether to accept the prosecutors’ recommendation or not.

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