Families of crash victims rain wrath on Airbus, Air France

By NICOLAS VAUX-MONTAGNY and JEFFREY SCHAEFFER
Associated Press

PARIS (AP) — Distraught families whose loved ones died in Air France’s worst-ever crash have shouted down the CEOs of the airline and of planemaker Airbus as the two companies go on trial on manslaughter charges in Paris over the 2009 crash. The flight from Rio de Janeiro to Paris in 2009 plunged into the Atlantic amid thunderstorms. The crash killed all 228 people aboard and led to changes in air safety regulations. Families from around the world are among the plaintiffs. The companies insist they are not criminally responsible and Air France has already compensated families. The trial that began Monday is expected to focus on the icing over of sensors called pitot tubes and pilot error.