Air France and Airbus to go to trial 13 years after air disaster in the Atlantic.
Flight 447, which was flying from Rio de Janeiro to Paris, disappeared into the darkness during a storm on June 1, 2009.
Reuters More than 13 years after an Air France plane crashed into the Atlantic Ocean, killing all 228 people on board, the airline and French aircraft manufacturer Airbus will be tried in a Paris court next week, with relatives seeking "light at the end of a long tunnel."
Flight 447, which was flying from Rio de Janeiro to Paris, disappeared into the darkness during a storm on June 1, 2009.
After a two-year search for the A330's black boxes, French investigators discovered that the pilots mishandled the temporary loss of data from the sensors, which were frozen, and brought the 205-ton aircraft into an aerodynamic stall, or free fall, without responding to warnings.
But the accident agency BEA also reported that Air France had expressed concerns about the increase in icing incidents before the accident and had begun receiving improved airspeed probes. Experts say that the relative roles of pilot or sensor error, as well as erratic displays or fatigue, will be key to the historical judgment.
The opening hearing on Monday will mark the first time French companies will be directly tried for "involuntary manslaughter" following a plane crash, instead of individuals.
Although corporate reputation and a long-awaited catharsis for the families are at stake, the nine-week trial is not expected to lead to significant financial penalties. However, experts say that larger sums have been paid out in civil settlements or damages.
Even so, AF447 prompted a broad rethinking of training and technology and is seen as one of the few accidents that changed aviation. But reforms either kept pace with the methodical rhythm of global regulation or became bogged down in industry disagreements.
Among dozens of safety recommendations, experts say the investigation has led to critical changes in how pilots are trained to handle in-air problems or loss of control.
Although black boxes provide important clues, the trial could reignite a long-standing privacy debate about whether pilots' cockpits should also be visually monitored to decipher future accidents, especially now that security cameras are part of everyday life.
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