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Air France and Airbus guilty of manslaughter after horror plane crash killed 228

The Airbus A330 disappeared from radars during the storm before its wreckage was found after a long search of sea floor. The black box was found after months of deep-sea searches in 2011

[Air France and Airbus were found guilty of corporate manslaughter over the incident]

Air France and Airbus were found guilty of corporate manslaughter over the incident(Image: BRAZILIAN NAVY/AFP via Getty Ima)

Air France and Airbus have been found guilty of manslaughter following a plane crash in 2009 which killed 228 people.

The Paris Appeals Court found the airline and aircraft manufacturer guilty of corporate manslaughter over the incident, in which a flight between Rio de Janeiro and Paris crashed into the Atlantic Ocean. A court had previously cleared the companies in April 2023 but they were found guilty after this appeal.

The passenger jet stalled during a storm and plunged into the water, killing all on board. The Airbus A330 disappeared from radars during the storm before its wreckage was found after a long search of 10,000 sq km (3,860 sq miles) of sea floor. The black box was found after months of deep-sea searches in 2011.

[The passenger jet stalled during a storm and plunged into the water, killing all on board]

The passenger jet stalled during a storm and plunged into the water, killing all on board(Image: AP)

All 12 crew members and 216 passengers on board the flight were killed when the plane crashed into the sea from a height of 38,000ft (11,580m), making it the deadliest incident in French aviation history, reports BBC.

Relatives of some of the passengers, which included mainly French, Brazilian and German nationals, gathered at the verdict on Wednesday.

Both companies have been ordered to pay the maximum fine, 225,000 ($261,720; 194,500) each. However, some of the victims' families said the amount was a token penalty.

[the first wreckage pieces and objects of the Air France A330 aircraft, flight AF447]

The first wreckage pieces and objects of the Air France A330 aircraft, flight AF447(Image: AFP via Getty Images)

Deputy prosecutors said the companies' behaviour had been "unacceptable" during closing arguments in November, accusing them of "spouting nonsense and pulling arguments out of thin air".

Airbus and Air France denied the charges. French lawyers could launch further appeals.

In 2012, BEA crash investigators found the planes crew had pushed their jet into a stall, chopping lift from under the wings, after mishandling a problem to do with iced-up sensors.

But prosecutors focused their attention on alleged failures inside both the planemaker and airline, including poor training and failing to follow up on earlier incidents.

Prosecutors needed not only to establish that the companies were guilty of negligence to prove manslaughter, but also demonstrate how this caused the crash.

Last years appeal proceedings involved a new trial with evidence reviewed from the start. Any further appeals after Thursdays verdict will shift the focus from the AF447 cockpit to intricacies of law.

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