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Air France and Airbus are on trial this week for manslaughter for a crash that killed 228 people – including five Britons – after a flight from Rio to Paris crashed into the Atlantic Ocean in 2009.
It follows a 13-year struggle for justice by the families of those who died in France’s worst air disaster ever.
A support group for victims, knowing they will be plunged “back into extremely painful moments,” has branded the process “absolutely essential for the memory of those who have disappeared and for the families.”
Flight AF447 crashed into the Atlantic Ocean on June 1, 2009, en route to the French capital, after three pilots, including Captain Marc Dubois and Pierre-Cedric Bonin, panicked and were unable to deal with faulty equipment during a storm.
Those killed from the Airbus A330 flight included Alexander Bjoroy, an 11-year-old boarder at Bristol’s Clifton College, and PR director Neil Warrior, 48.
Among the other victims were Graham Gardner, a 52-year-old oil worker from Gourock, in Renfrewshire, and Arthur Coakley, 61, an engineer from Whitby in North Yorkshire.
It took two years to find the wreckage of the plane, which was 13,000 feet deep. It was discovered through submarine technology, including remote-controlled submarines.
Air France and Airbus will face charges of manslaughter for the 2009 Rio to Paris crash that killed 228 people, including five British passengers. Pictured: Rescuers clear debris from jet in Atlantic Ocean
Prosecutors accused Air France of failing to provide adequate training on how to respond to pilots in the event of a malfunction. Pictured: Captain Marc Dubois (left) and co-pilot Pierre-Cedric Bonin
Despite an investigation which concluded that the crash was caused by Air France pilot error and technical issues with the Airbus, judges dismissed the cases in August 2019.
However, this decision was overturned by the Paris court of appeals last year, meaning the two companies will face charges from Monday on charges of “negligence and recklessness leading to manslaughter.”
But grieving families are still outraged that no business leaders will be brought to justice.
Nelson Marinho, whose son was one of the victims, said: ‘They have changed several drivers, both at Airbus and Air France, so who will they arrest? No one. There will be no justice. That is unfortunately the truth.’
AirFrance and Airbus face fines of up to €225,000, or just under £200,000, but no one will be tried from the trial.
Daniele Lamy, chair of a victims support group, said: “The trial will take us back to extremely painful moments, but this process is absolutely essential for the memory of those who have disappeared, and for the families.”
Flight AF447 crashed into the Atlantic Ocean on June 1, 2009 after pilots panicked and failed to deal with faulty equipment during a storm
The trial comes after a 13-year struggle for justice by families of those killed in the worst air crash in French history. Pictured: Air France Monument
Prosecutors accuse Air France of insufficient training on how pilots should respond in the event of a malfunction of the pitot tubes, which monitor speed.
The pilots demonstrably reacted incorrectly when the aircraft came to a stop after the speed sensors froze.
French crash research firm BEA said in a detailed chronology of the crash that commands from the controls of the 32-year-old junior pilot on board had pulled the nose up when the plane became unstable and generated an audible stall warning.
This action went against normal procedures that require the nose to be lowered in response to a warning that the aircraft was about to lose lift or, in technical parlance, ‘stall’.
Among those who died on the Airbus were Graham Gardner, an oil worker from Gourock, in Renfrewshire (left), and Arthur Coakley, an engineer from Whitby in North Yorkshire (right)
Air France, which has paid undisclosed compensation to the victims’ families, said in a statement it would prove “it did not commit a crime.”
Airbus also denies any wrongdoing and blames pilot error for what happened.
Among the other victims were three young Irish doctors, who were returning from a two-week holiday in Brazil.
Eithne Walls, 29, worked at the Eye and Ear Hospital in Dublin and was traveling with Aisling Butler, 26, and Jane Deasy, 27. They had all been friends since they were students at Trinity College Dublin.
Since the disaster, Air France is said to have increased pilot training on how to deal with technical failures.
In total, the aircraft was carrying 216 passengers and 12 crew members of 32 nationalities, including 72 French, 59 Brazilians, 26 Germans, nine Chinese, nine Italians and the five British.
The trial against Airbus and Air France at the Paris Criminal Court will begin on Monday and will be concluded on December 8.