Overview
- The Paris court of appeal on Thursday, May 21 found Airbus and Air France guilty of involuntary manslaughter for the 2009 Rio–Paris flight AF447 crash and fined each company the maximum statutory amount of €225,000.
- Judges said the companies committed faults that contributed to the accident, citing Airbus’s underestimation of Pitot airspeed probe failures and Air France’s shortcomings in crew information and training about handling probe icing.
- Investigators have long established that Pitot-probe icing caused a loss of reliable airspeed data, autopilot disengagement, crew confusion and an aerodynamic stall that led the A330 to crash into the Atlantic.
- Both Airbus and Air France announced they will appeal to the Cour de cassation, which keeps the convictions subject to higher‑court review and means the verdict may be narrowed or overturned.
- Relatives and victim associations called the verdict symbolic recognition after 17 years, and the ruling could prompt renewed focus on probe design, airline training and regulatory safeguards for high‑altitude icing events.