George’s Point of View
Thursday’s news was that Airbus is being investigated for Air France Flight 447. Airbus officials made a public statement that they “strongly disapprove” of the decision, (no doubt!) but would comply with the investigation. Note to readers: This is law, not option. So let’s take that cooperation with a grain of salt, shall we? When the judge tells you that you’re being investigated, you say, “Yes Ma’am.”
March 20 is the date the search starts again, more on that below.
So yesterday, Thursday, was Airbus’s turn in court–
Today, Friday, Air France has been called in its turn before a judge in France to get its hand slapped. Or get in preparation to get its hand slapped, in ten years or so. Anyway, Air France is also on the mat.
Or, as they call it in France, (to be purists here) Mise en examen
This is a criminal investigation. It is a matter of FRENCH LAW. As it was explained to me, “Every air accident is also a criminal matter, and a judge is appointed to oversee the investigation and follow up including charges if any to be filed.”
So what was the problem with the flight? It crashed. It killed lots of people No one knows for sure why. (Though to some of us it seems obvious.) No black boxes, right? But we’re not idiots. We have plenty of information about what was going on. Not everything, of course, but we have the messages sent by the plane’s computers. They reflect faulty readings which are believed to be the result of faulty pitot tube readings and a series of system failures. We would have a rounder picture of events if the black boxes, which hold crucial information were not misplaced somewhere in the Atlantic. They think they know where it is, (or at least they say they know or say they think they know) based on drift and whatnot (heavy on the whatnot.) But millions have been spent finding this needle in a stack of needles under the ocean, in a submarine mountain range. Nearly 30 million dollars has been spent on the search for the black boxes so far. The cost of the new search is shared by Airbus and Air France and will cost 12.5 million.
What about the details about the mise en examen preliminary manslaughter charges filed Thursday against Airbus? They were filed in French court by Judge Sylvie Zimmerman over the 2009 deaths of 228 people aboard Air France Flight 447. Fatal accidents automatically prompt criminal probes running concurrent with civil investigations, but a couple of points which may not be obvious to Americans not versed in French Justice are that the charges may be issued pending further investigation, and may hinge on the black boxes which have not been found and may never be found; AND the dual investigation slows things down. That may be one item that delayed the Concord trial 10 years after the accident. You’ve seen pictures of a guy walking around with a tiny ankle-biting dog chewing on the hem of one pants leg? Well, instead of a chihuahua, picture the entire french justice system. Might tend to slow down ones progress, do you think?
So Air France will be in court Friday, ie today. Watch the news, because what we saw yesterday about Airbus, we’ll see today about Air France. I hope the families are getting some satisfaction from this, because it is going to be a long (long long long) time before they feel like they’re actually being heard, not herded into obscurity.
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The supersonic bomber is designed to take out sea- and ground-based targets using guided missiles and aerial bombs.
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Niko, 47, who lives in Bali, was left with a broken leg at the start of his journey to New Zealand after the plane was hit with ‘clear air turbulence’ while he was heading back to his seat
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By KAREN VELIE A small plane crashed off the runway at the Paso Robles Municipal Airport on Friday, injuring three people. Shortly before noon,
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Paso Robles Fire and Emergency Services responded to reports of an aircraft off the runway at the Paso Robles Municipal Airport.
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Air France Flight 447 crashed into the Atlantic Ocean on June 1, 2009, killing all 228 people on board. The pilot’s final nine words were revealed in the cockpit recording
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One person was sent to the hospital after the incident on Friday.
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The pilot’s identity will not be released at this time due to the investigation efforts being in the early stages, deputies said.
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ARLINGTON, Va. (DC News Now) — FAA continues its federal investigation into how two planes nearly collided on the runway at Reagan National Airport. A passenger on one of the flights is shari…
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One person has died following the crash of a small plane in Lake County.
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A Sacramento-bound Southwest Airlines flight was diverted back to the St. Louis airport on Friday. Passengers and Air Traffic Control audio said the plane landed safely after an issue with an engine.
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A Delta spokesperson emphasized the emergency was something flight crews are trained to respond to.
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The final words of the pilot manning Air France Flight 447 have been revealed.
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A simulation has revealed a pilot’s last words before flight AF447 crashed in 2009.
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Southwest plane nearly crossed runway in front of departing JetBlue plane Thursday in Virginia
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Russian military plane crashed in Stavropol region
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KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s air force claimed Friday it shot down a Russian strategic bomber, but Moscow officials said the plane crashed in a sparsely populated area due to a malfunction after a combat mission. Neither claim could be independently verified. Previous Ukrainian claims of shooting down Russian warplanes during their more than two-year […]
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The former president’s aircraft has been seen parked at LaGuardia Airport in New York as he takes part in his hush money trial in Manhattan.
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A military plane crashed in Russia’s Krasnogvardeysky district of the federal city of St. Petersburg. The pilots, according to sources, were ejected safely., Europe News – Times Now
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Two aircraft nearly crashed into each other earlier Thursday at Washington D.C.’s Reagan National Airport.
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Boeing, with its airplane-making reputation in tatters, has revealed plans to get into the flying car market in Asia.
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