The ten years of investigation into the crash of flight AF447 from Rio to Paris, which killed 228 passengers and crew members on June 1, 2009, could lead to no prosecution. The investigating judges have dismissed the case for manslaughter against Airbus and Air France.
In July 2019, the Public Prosecutor's office had requested Air France to face trial for manslaughter and negligence in the training of pilots and dismissed the case against Airbus. However, the investigating judges of the Paris court decided not to follow the requisitions of the Public Prosecutor, and also dismissed the case against Air France. "This accident is obviously due to a conjunction of elements that never occurred, and thus highlighted dangers that could not be perceived before this accident," said the judges, quoted by AFP.
The main association of relatives of victims, had already contested the decision of the Public Prosecutor's office, stating that no trial "can only comfort Airbus in a feeling of impunity harmful to the safety of all". In June 2019, the SNPL, Air France's main pilot union, had also demanded everyone involved in the crash to be sent to court.
On June 1, 2009, an Air France A330, registered F-GZCP, carrying out flight 447 from Rio de Janeiro to Paris crashed into the Atlantic Ocean, killing all 228 people on board. The accident remains the worst Air France has ever suffered, and the deadliest involving an Airbus A330.
The final report of the French Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety (BEA), released in 2012, pointed at icing of the Pitot probes and incorrect pilot reactions as the main causes of the crash. As for the criminal investigation, it was concluded on February 18, 2019.
Paris court hands ex-Thai airline CEO 4-year term over 2007 crash
A jet operated by Thai budget airline One-Two-Go crashed while trying to land on the resort island of Phuket in September 2007, killing 90 people (AFP Photo/AFP)
Paris (AFP) - A French court on Tuesday sentenced the former head of a Thai budget airline to four years in jail over a 2007 crash that killed 90 people, nearly two-thirds of them foreigners.
The suit, filed by the families of the nine French victims aboard the flight, claimed the crash landing on the resort island of Phuket was "an accident waiting to happen".
The Paris court found Udom Tantiprasongchai, the former head of the airline One-Two-Go, guilty of voluntary manslaughter and also set a fine of 75,000 euros ($82,300).
But despite an international warrant for his arrest, Tantiprasongchai has never been detained and did not respond to the French judicial summons, and was tried in absentia.
The crash occurred on September 16, 2007, when the Boeing passenger jet carrying 123 passengers and seven crew skidded off the runway and burst into flames while trying to land in driving rain and heavy winds.
The victims' families accused the airline of trying to cover up a series of failings which led to the crash, including overworked pilots and falsified flight logs.
In its ruling, the court found evidence of "mistakes" by the pilots but also faulted the airline, saying the crew "did not have the capacity to react correctly... because of their fatigue and stress."
Among the dead were 33 Thai nationals and 57 foreigners, mainly tourists from Britain, Israel and France.
One of the plaintiffs, Gerard Bembaron, who lost a brother in the crash, hailed a ruling that "sends a serious warning to airlines with dubious practices, even if they don't fly in France."
French courts are allowed to hear cases involving accidents or attacks anywhere in the world if French citizens are victims.
One-Two-GO and its parent company Orient Thai have both ceased to operate since the crash.
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