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Death Flight Rio-Paris Air France and Airbus in court – Black Box recorded crash panic
More than 13 years following the crash of an Air France plane from Rio de Janeiro to Paris with 228 dead, Airbus and Air France have to answer in court from Monday.
The plane wreck and the flight recorders were not found until two years later. (archive image)
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The flight data shows that shortly before entering a severe weather zone, the speed sensors iced up and the autopilot switched off. (archive image)
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In June 2009, an Airbus 330 crashed over the Atlantic – the wreck was only found two years later.
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All occupants and the crew died at the time.
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Airbus and Air France are now facing charges of manslaughter.
“The survivors want the two companies to be convicted,” says lawyer Louis Caillez, who represents several relatives of the 28 German victims. A first procedure was discontinued in 2019. It is the worst accident in the history of the French airline. The A330-203 crashed near the equator in the middle of the night over the Atlantic. All 216 passengers and the crew of twelve died. The plane wreck and the flight recorders were not found until two years later.
Machine fell like a stone into the sea
The flight data shows that shortly before entering a severe weather zone, the speed sensors iced up and the autopilot switched off. The flight computer incorrectly indicated that the aircraft was descending. The co-pilot steered the machine so steeply that it finally stalled and the machine fell like a stone into the sea.
The voice recorder recordings show that it was only regarding four minutes from the moment the pilots noticed the speedometer went out until the crash. Investigators assume that most of the passengers on flight AF447 were unaware of the emergency situation. Many of them were not buckled.
The final report by the French aviation investigation authority (BEA) in 2012 referred to a chain of human and technical errors that led to the accident. After years of legal tug-of-war, the French investigating magistrates dropped initial proceedings once morest Air France and Airbus in 2019.
Dramatic final minutes in the cockpit
Accordingly, the mood in the cockpit was initially relaxed, despite some turbulence. At 02:31 a.m. (CEST), the pilot pointed out to one of the two co-pilots that they were flying over the equator with a moody comment: “Do you get it, I assume?” – “Yes, I thought so.”
Just under half an hour later, the pilot says goodbye to his rest break. “Okay, I’m off,” he says. One of the two co-pilots takes control. The plane steers into turbulence. “We’d better let those at the back (in the cabin) know,” said the co-pilot at 04:06. “Pull a bit to the left,” says the other.
Three minutes later there was obvious confusion in the cockpit. Alarm tones can be heard. “What’s happening?” asks one. “The speedometer isn’t correct,” remarks the other. The autopilot disengages. The copilot steers the machine steeply upwards.
“We don’t understand anything anymore. We have tried everything.”
At 4:11 a.m. he admits: “I no longer have control over the plane.” The door to the cockpit opens. “What are you doing there?” asks the pilot, who comes back from his break. “We don’t understand anything anymore, we’ve tried everything,” is the answer. The panic of the three can only be guessed at.
“Am I going down now?” – “No, you keep going up.” From the brief dialogue it becomes clear that the three of them are overwhelmed by the situation. They can no longer tell whether the plane is climbing or descending. Alarm signals can be heard in the background .
“Go ahead, pull up.” – “We’re going down. That’s impossible. What’s going on?” At the time, the machine was almost in free fall. The co-pilot had pulled it up so steeply that it stalled.
At 04.14 the pilot can be heard one last time: “Ten degrees”. Then the machine hits the sea surface almost horizontally.
Both companies deny the allegations
At the time, many of the bereaved were disappointed and regretted that the investigators had focused too much on the pilot’s errors. The public prosecutor appealed. Both companies deny the allegations.
“There were several similar incidents (with the speed sensors) before the accident, but no consequences were drawn from them,” says lawyer Caillez. In the process, he wants to argue that the pilots were not sufficiently informed and trained. His clients are happy that the process is finally taking place. “There will be a debate regarding the mistakes made by Airbus and Air France,” he said.
The gauges used by Air France were known to be vulnerable. Shortly before the crash, the airline had started replacing the so-called pitot probes – but not on the machine that was supposed to fly from Rio de Janeiro to Paris. 476 joint plaintiffs came forward in the process. The court hearing begins on Monday and is scheduled to last until December 8th. In the event of a conviction, the companies must expect fines of 225,000 euros.
(AFP/sys)
