Airbus, Air France acquitted over 2009 Rio-Paris crash

By NICOLAS VAUX-MONTAGNY
Associated Press

PARIS (AP) — A French court has acquitted Airbus and Air France of manslaughter charges over the 2009 crash of Flight 447 from Rio to Paris. The crash killed 228 people and led to lasting changes in aircraft safety measures. Sobs broke out among victims’ families in the courtroom as the judges read out the decision Monday. The official investigation found that multiple factors contributed to the crash, including pilot error and the icing over of external sensors called pitot tubes. The victims’ families had fought for 13 years to see the case reach court.