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The French public prosecutor is appealing against a ruling that acquits
aircraft manufacturer Airbus and airline Air France of blame for a plane crash
with an Airbus A330-200 off the coast of Brazil. A French court ruled earlier
this month in a case involving a flight that crashed in 2009.
 
That flight was on its way from Rio de Janeiro to Paris and ran into problems
in a storm over the Atlantic Ocean. So-called Pitot speed control tubes froze,
preventing the pilots from getting clear speed readings. They lost speed, but
did not notice it in time.
 
Relatives of the 12 crew members and 216 passengers who died had sued Airbus
and Air France for involuntary manslaughter. They claim, along with some
aviation experts, that the pilots were insufficiently trained to cope with the
loss of speed. In addition, the problem of the frozen tubes would have been
known before the crash.
 
The problem of freezing the Pitot tubes on Airbus A330 aircraft had already
been reported by other pilots before the crash. In the months following the
accident, these tubes were replaced worldwide. The crash also prompted a
review of pilot training protocols.
 
The judge found that both companies had been negligent on some points. But
those cases were not serious enough for a conviction. "A probable causal
relationship is not enough," the judges said. It is striking that precisely
the Public Prosecution Service had argued for acquittal, but is now appealing.
 
Alain Jakubowicz, lawyer on behalf of a number of relatives, says that there
is "enormous relief" about this "very rare decision by the Public Prosecution
Service". "The determination of the families will be even greater. This gives
us great hope," said Jakubowicz.

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