Both Airbus and Air France have been acquitted of manslaughter charges over the crash of Flight 447 from Rio to Paris in 2009. The accident killed 228 people, including Alexander Bjoroy - an 11-year-old boarder at Clifton College.
A French court has today announced the decision following the crash which led to lasting changes in aircraft safety measures. The investigation found that a number of factors contributed to the crash, including pilot error and the icing over of external sensors called pitot tubes.
The trial, which lasted for two months, left families angry and disappointed with some storming out of the court when prosecutors called for acquittal. The state prosecutors argued for acquittal, saying that the proceeding did not produce enough proof of criminal wrongdoing by Airbus and Air France.
