Thirteen years later, Airbus and Air France on trial for the crash of Rio – Paris flight AF447 in the Atlantic

Thirteen years ago, an Air France Airbus A330 crashed into the Atlantic Ocean. This disaster killed 228 people. It took ten years of investigation, multiple expertises and hours of hearing before reaching this moment of justice. As of Monday, October 10, Airbus and Air France, prosecuted for manslaughter, will have to explain their respective responsibilities in the malfunction of the Pitot tubes, the aircraft’s speed sensors, and the training of pilots in a situation of crisis.

On May 31, 2009, the Air France Airbus A330 took off from Rio de Janeiro to Paris Charles de Gaulle. But off the Brazilian coast, the pilots of flight AF447 are confronted with a meteorological phenomenon called “the doldrums”, which causes strong turbulence and a freezing atmosphere.

In these extreme conditions, frost forms on the Pitot tubes, which constantly provide indications of the speed of the aircraft. The pilots received erroneous data and think the plane is losing altitude. At the time, the pilots had no training to deal with this kind of situation.

To regain altitude, they do what seems most logical to them in these circumstances: they pull on the control column to pitch up the plane. The manoeuvre proves fatal. The nose is too high and the speed too low. The plane lost lift and falls like a stone. In less than four minutes, the A330 sank into the Atlantic.

In May 2021, the Paris Court of Appeal ordered a trial for “involuntary homicides” against Air France and Airbus for their responsibilities in the AF447 Rio de Janeiro-Paris crash which killed 228 people in 2009. This decision of the investigative chamber of the court of appeal, requested by the general prosecutor’s office, invalidates the dismissal pronounced in 2019 in favour of the airline and the manufacturer at the end of the investigations.

The hearings, which start on Monday, will be an opportunity to question the ability of a manufacturer and an airline to guarantee passenger safety when 3 billion people fly each year.

“We await this trial with impatience but also with a certain excitement”, confides Danièle Lamy, the president of the association Entraide et Solidarité AF447 who lost her son in the tragedy. “It will plunge us back into extremely painful moments, but this trial is absolutely essential for the memory of the disappeared and for the families,” she adds.

If the court finds a criminal fault on their part, Air France and Airbus risk a fine of up to 225,000 euros. The trial is due to end on December 8.