PARIS — A judicial official says French prosecutors want Air France to stand trial for manslaughter in the 2009 crash of a flight from Rio de Janeiro to Paris that killed all 228 people aboard.
The official said Wednesday that prosecutors also asked to drop the case against Airbus, maker of the doomed aircraft, for lack of sufficient evidence. The official wasn’t authorized to speak about the case and asked to remain anonymous.
Air France Flight 447 left Rio de Janeiro for Paris but crashed into the Atlantic Ocean on June 1, 2009. The Accident Investigation Bureau found that external speed sensors were frozen and produced irregular readings on the aircraft, which went into an aerodynamic stall. The captain also wasn’t in the cockpit.
Prosecutors cited negligence and insufficient training leading to chaos in the cockpit.
Elaine Ganley, The Associated Press
