After 13 years: trial begins about the death flight AF447 Rio-Paris against Air France and Airbus

Created: 2022-10-11 06:34

By: Claudia Mussol

Bernd Gans from Vaterstetten lost his daughter Ines in the Air France crash in 2009.

© Rossmann

228 people were killed in the crash of an Air France plane.

Air France and Airbus have to answer to the court again.

Relatives of the victims fought for this for a long time.

Paris – A good 13 years after the crash of a plane between Rio de Janeiro and Paris with hundreds of dead, the airline Air France and manufacturer Airbus have to answer for the incident in court.

The trial against her on suspicion of involuntary manslaughter began in Paris on Monday.

The two companies face fines of up to 225,000 euros.

Plane Tragedy: Air France Flight 447 crashes en route to Rio

The Air France flight AF 447 disappeared from radar screens on June 1, 2009 en route from Rio to the French capital.

The Airbus A330 crashed into the Atlantic, killing 228 people.

The cause was unclear for a long time.

It was not until May 2011 that the last bodies and the flight data recorder were recovered from a depth of around 4,000 meters.

28 Germans were among the victims of the accident flight.

Flight of Death AF 447: Images from the seabed

View photo gallery

The court acquitted Air France and Airbus, and relatives of the victims appealed

The beginning of the proceedings follows years of legal tug-of-war.

In 2019, investigating judges initially dismissed the case.

An appeals court then ordered the trial against Airbus and Air France last year.

Specifically, the nine-week process should be about whether the pilots were sufficiently well trained for extreme situations like the crash.

The question could also arise as to whether the manufacturer Airbus underestimated the consequences of a failure of the so-called pitot probes for speed measurement.

The probes iced up in flight.

The crew was then overwhelmed with the situation, although the situation was manageable, according to an expert report in 2012.

Ines' father: "We fought for a long time"

For the survivors of the fatal flight, the beginning of the trial is another stage in dealing with the guilt and a long-awaited date: "We fought for a long time," says Bernd Gans from Vaterstetten.

On June 1, 2009, he lost his then 31-year-old daughter Ines in the crash.

As great as the pain is - Gans has dedicated himself to solving the accident for years.

He is on the board of the association "HIOP eV" (survivors of the victims of the Airbus crash).

For the bereaved, however, the process is not about money.

Years ago, most of them came to an agreement with Air France and insurers about compensation payments.

There is silence about the exact amounts.

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Ines' father hopes for clarity

At the beginning of the trial, Gans, like many other survivors, traveled to Paris.

And is relieved that the time has finally come: “Now we have the opportunity to finally clarify the case.” Because Gans is convinced: “There have been too many omissions and breaches of duty at both Airbus and Air France.

We hope that these will be brought to light in the process and that punishment will follow.” However, what is outrageous for the father from Stetten is the amount of the possible punishment that the process is about: “A completely different sign would have to be set,” he demands .

"It's a slap in the face, is an insult to the victims."

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