A French judge has ruled that European aircraft manufacturer Airbus should be investigated for alleged manslaughter following a crash over the Atlantic in 2009 in which 228 people died.
It is thought that faulty speed sensors might have been to blame for the crash of flight 447, which was en route from Rio de Janeiro to Paris, but air accident investigators have yet to reach a final conclusion.
The preliminary manslaughter charges will pave the way for a further investigation of the crash, though Airbus says this is premature.
All of the wrecked plane has yet to be recovered from the Atlantic and the black box flight recorders are still missing. A further sweep of the ocean floor between Brazil and West Africa is planned for next week.
By Linsey McNeill
