Investigation into Air France Rio-Paris crash points to pilot error, leaked report

The Brazilian investigation into the crash of the Rio-Paris Air France flight A330 on 1 June, 2009 which killed 228 people has received the final report into the cause of the accident from the French aviation safety authority, BEA. 

Reuters

The report will be made public on 5 July but is believed to support the findings of a BEA preliminary report last July which said pilots failed to react correctly when the Airbus jet stalled and lost altitude after its speed sensors froze and failed.

Air France insists the pilots were not to blame and instead have pointed to the stall alarm claiming it had malfunctioned.

The head of the association for victims’ families, Robert Soulas, says French magistrates will release a report on 30 June from legal experts in a separate criminal probe into the crash.

French magistrates are investigating Air France and Airbus for alleged manslaughter over the crash because of the malfunction of speed sensors known as Pitots.

The Pitots, manufactured by French company Thalés, were replaced with a newer model after the crash.

The BEA report is aimed at preventing future accidents.