Air France and Airbus found guilty of manslaughter over 2009 plane crashSkip to contentWatch LiveBritish Broadcasting CorporationHomeNewsSportBusinessTechnologyHealthCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveDocumentariesHomeNewsUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. 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A court had previously cleared the companies in April 2023, but they were found guilty on Thursday after an eight-week trial. Both have repeatedly denied the charges and say they will appeal.All 12 crew members and 216 passengers on board the flight were killed when the plane crashed into the sea from a height of 38,000ft (11,580m), making it the deadliest incident in French aviation history.The wreckage was located after a long search of 10,000 sq km (3,860 sq miles) of sea floor. But the flight recorder was not found until 2011, after months of deep-sea searches.Relatives of some of the passengers, who were mainly French, Brazilian and German nationals, gathered to hear the verdict on Thursday.The companies have been asked to pay the maximum fine - €225,000 ($261,720; £194,500) each - but some victims' families have criticised the amount as a token penalty.Daniele Lamy, president of the AF447 victims' association, who lost her ​son in the accident, praised the court's verdict, adding that the justice system was "at last, taking into account the pain of the families faced with a collective tragedy of unbearable brutality".The ruling may be seen as causing damage to the companies' reputations.During their closing arguments in November, the deputy prosecutors said the companies' behaviour had been "unacceptable", accusing them of "spouting nonsense and pulling arguments out of thin air".Universal Images Group via Getty ImagesA memorial to the 228 victims was unveiled at a Paris cemetery a year after the crashThe crash led to a complex recovery operation in a remote part of the Atlantic Ocean, more than 700 miles (1127km) from the coast of South America. During the initial searches, the French government had been responsible for investigating the crash and Brazilian forces took charge of retrieving the bodies.In the first 26 days of searches, 51 bodies were recovered, many still buckled into their seats.One family member who spoke to BBC News Brasil in 2019 said he had only been able to bury his son's remains over two years after the incident.His son, 40-year-old engineer Nelson Marinho Filho, nearly missed the flight out of Rio de Janeiro's Galeão International Airport and was the last person to board, according to Air France staff.The passengers came from 33 different countries, including 61 French nationals, 58 Brazilians, 26 Germans, two Americans, five Britons and three Irish nationals.One of the Britons was 11-year-old Alexander Bjoroy from Bristol, who had been returning to the UK via France after spending half-term in Brazil.Three Irish women - Eithne Walls from County Down, Jane Deasy from County Dublin, and Aisling Butler from Co Tipperary - were also among those killed.All three were doctors and were returning home from a holiday in Brazil.Brazilian prince Pedro Luiz de Orleans e Bragança also died in the crash at the age of 26.Out of the 216 passengers, there were 126 men, 82 women, 7 children and one infant on board.The 12 members of flight crew were mainly from France, with the exception of one Brazilian.In 2012, French investigators found a combination of technical failure involving ice in the plane's sensors and the pilots' inability to react to the aircraft stalling led to it plunging into the sea.The captain was on a break when the co-pilots became confused by faulty air-speed readings. They then mistakenly pointed the nose of the plane upwards when it stalled, instead of down.Investigators concluded the co-pilots did not have the training to deal with the situation. Pilot training has since been improved and the speed sensors replaced.A statement from Air France at the time of the crash said the pilot had more than 11,000 hours of flight time, including 1,700 hours on the same type of plane.The aircraft had last been through a maintenance check on 16 April 2009.Air France pilots 'lost control'EuropeFranceAirbus GroupAviation safetyAviation accidents and incidentsAir France KLMRelatedPutin vows retaliation after accusing Ukraine of hitting student dormitoryRace for French presidency sees ex-PM Philippe as early favourite to beat populistsBlaze tears through Donegal warehouseMore from the BBC14 hrs agoFrench mum and partner held until trial after sons abandoned by road in PortugalThe couple, who allegedly left the woman's sons on a roadside in southern Portugal, will remain in custody.14 hrs ago2 days agoPair arrested after boys abandoned by road in PortugalThe children were carrying backpacks with food and water but no identity documents when they were found by a driver.2 days ago3 days agoFar-right Israeli minister condemned for taunting handcuffed Gaza flotilla activistsFrance and Italy are among the countries that have criticised a video showing Itamar Ben-Gvir taunting dozens of activists detained at an Israeli port.3 days ago3 days agoNew video captures engine ripping off cargo plane in deadly Kentucky crashAs part of the ongoing investigation into the crash that killed 14 people, officials released footage showing the engine detaching during takeoff.3 days ago4 days agoSinger Patrick Bruel denies wave of sexual assault allegations in FranceAmong Bruel's latest accusers is well-known TV and radio presenter Flavie Flament, who alleges he raped her in 1991.4 days agoBritish Broadcasting CorporationHomeNewsSportBusinessTechnologyHealthCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveDocumentariesWeatherBBC ShopBritBoxBBC in other languagesThe BBC is in multiple languagesRead the BBC In your own languageOduu Afaan OromootiinAmharic ዜና በአማርኛArabic عربيAzeri AZƏRBAYCANBangla বাংলাBurmese မြန်မာChinese 中文网Dari دریFrench AFRIQUEHausa HAUSAHindi हिन्दीGaelic NAIDHEACHDANGujarati ગુજરાતીમાં સમાચારIgbo AKỤKỌ N’IGBOIndonesian INDONESIAJapanese 日本語Kinyarwanda GAHUZAKirundi KIRUNDIKorean 한국어Kyrgyz КыргызMarathi मराठीNepali नेपालीNoticias para hispanoparlantesPashto پښتوPersian فارسیPidginPolish PO POLSKUPortuguese BRASILPunjabi ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਖ਼ਬਰਾਂRussian НА РУССКОМSerbian NA SRPSKOMSinhala සිංහලSomali SOMALISwahili HABARI KWA KISWAHILITamil தமிழில் செய்திகள்Telugu తెలుగు వార్తలుThai ข่าวภาษาไทยTigrinya ዜና ብትግርኛTurkish TÜRKÇEUkrainian УКРАЇНСЬКAUrdu اردوUzbek O'ZBEKVietnamese TIẾNG VIỆTWelsh NEWYDDIONYoruba ÌRÒYÌN NÍ YORÙBÁFollow BBC on:Terms of UseSubscription TermsAbout the BBCPrivacy PolicyCookiesAccessibility HelpContact the BBCAdvertise with usDo not share or sell my infoBBC.com Help & FAQsContent IndexSet Preferred SourceCopyright 2026 BBC. 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Air France and Airbus have been found guilty of manslaughter following the tragic 2009 plane crash involving flight AF447, which resulted in the deaths of 228 people. The Paris Appeals Court determined that the airline and the aircraft manufacturer bore sole and entire responsibility for the incident, in which the passenger jet crashed into the Atlantic Ocean after stalling during a storm at an altitude of 38,000 feet. This event marked the deadliest incident in French aviation history. The wreckage was located only after an extensive search spanning 10,000 square kilometers of the seafloor, and the flight recorder was not recovered until 2011.

The investigation revealed a complex sequence of technical and human failures that led to the disaster. Investigators concluded that the crash resulted from a combination of technical failure, specifically involving ice accumulation in the plane's sensors, and the pilots' inability to react to the aircraft stalling. The findings indicated that the captain was on break when the co-pilots experienced confusion due to faulty air-speed readings, leading them to mistakenly point the plane's nose upward instead of downward during the stall. Furthermore, the court proceedings highlighted that the co-pilots lacked the necessary training to manage such critical situations, prompting subsequent improvements in pilot training and the replacement of speed sensors.

The victims included 12 crew members and 216 passengers from 33 different nations, including French, Brazilian, German, British, and Irish nationals. Among those lost were specific individuals such as Nelson Marinho Filho, an engineer, and Brazilian prince Pedro Luiz de Orleans e Bragança. The passengers included men, women, children, and an infant. The aircraft had undergone a maintenance check on April 16, 2009, and the pilots possessed over 11,000 hours of flight time, including 1,700 hours on the same aircraft type.

In the aftermath, the companies were asked to pay the maximum fine of €225,000 each, a penalty that some victims' families criticized as inadequate. Despite the legal verdict, some victims' families, such as those of the AF447 victims' association, expressed appreciation for the justice system’s response to the collective tragedy. The case has reportedly caused reputational damage to the companies, as deputy prosecutors during the closing arguments described the companies' behavior as unacceptable. The recovery operation also involved complex efforts by the French government and Brazilian forces in the remote Atlantic Ocean, with 51 bodies recovered in the initial 26 days of searching.