Wed, Nov 08, 2006
Six Individuals Found Not Guilty Of Criminal Manslaughter
A French court ruled Tuesday that aircraft manufacturer Airbus,
along with the airline Air France are both liable to pay damages
for a 1992 plane crash that killed 87 people near the German
border, but cleared six individuals who were accused of
manslaughter.
Airbus built the A320 airliner that crashed January 20,
1992 while on a short-haul flight from Lyon to Strasbourg. For
still-unknown reasons, the plane suddenly descended rapidly... and
impacted the 2,500 foot high Mont-Sainte-Odile. The aircraft was
flying for the now-defunct Air Inter, which was later absorbed by
Air France.
Six defendants faced criminal manslaughter charges and up to two
years in prison each. The accused included an Airbus executive, two
members of the French Civil Aviation Agency, two former Air Inter
officials, and an air traffic controller who was on duty at the
time of the crash.
The verdict was seen as a victory for the aviation industry in
its drive to decriminalize aircraft crashes as more and more
countries around the world seek to pin criminal responsibility on
pilots and aviation businesses, says the Herald Tribune. The French
prosecuters accused the six aviation officials of
committing errors that lead to the deaths of the 87.
The court found that none of those six, however, could be held
personally responsible for the crash. The court also did not
explain its reasoning for saying Air France and Airbus are liable
for damages. An amount for those damages hasn't been
determined.
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