A lawsuit against the airline Air France and aircraft manufacturer Airbus will begin in Paris on Monday. The two companies are suspected of manslaughter in a 2009 accident that killed all 228 people on board. That’s what the case is about.
The Airbus A330 was en route from Brazil to Paris on 1 July 2009. Over the Atlantic Ocean, the plane had a storm and severe turbulence occurred. The plane disappeared from the radar without the pilots sounding the alarm. The plane crashed into the sea.
For a long time it was unclear what went wrong with Flight AF447. It took two years to recover the bodies, wrecks and cockpit recorders. Only then could the investigation of the accident really begin.
Investigators found that the pilots had made mistakes. They did not respond correctly when the screens in the cockpit showed the wrong speed. This is because the speedometers were frozen. The autopilot has also turned off.
It was difficult to bring out the black boxes of the plane. They lay on the bottom of the sea at a depth of 4,000 meters.
It was difficult to bring out the black boxes of the plane. They lay on the bottom of the sea at a depth of 4,000 meters. Photo: AP
The pilots were confused by the indicators in the cockpit. “We’re losing speed” and “I don’t know what’s going on,” they said. This can be heard on the sound recording from the cockpit. Then the plane lost too much speed. As a result, he could no longer fly properly and fell from the sky.
According to investigators, the pilots were not properly trained. They didn’t know how to deal with the broken speedometers situation.
The families of the victims believe that Air France and Airbus are also responsible for the accident. Air France should have prepared the pilots better. Boeing would have known that the speedometers would sometimes get stuck. Other pilots had already reported this problem before the accident. Both Air France and Airbus deny that they were negligent.
Fragments of the disaster flight are exhibited in a hangar in Brazil.
Fragments of the disaster flight are exhibited in a hangar in Brazil. Photo: AFP
For Air France and Airbus, all they really have to lose is reputation. Both face a fine of 225,000 euros. That’s only a fraction of what these billion-dollar companies earn annually.
For mourners, it is mainly about justice. For example, they have already received compensation from Air France and Airbus. Furthermore, the cause itself is a win for families. The judges decided in 2019 to let the case rest. In an appeal, a Paris court ruled that the trial should go on after all. This is the first time that French companies have had to appear in court due to a plane crash. This makes the process historic.
Today, the same type of crash shouldn’t happen again. After the crash with flight AF447, speedometers were replaced around the world. The training courses for the pilots were also adequate.
The case has multiple hearings and will run until 8 December.
