Air France Flight 447 Atlantic Crash — Ladd Sanger Secures Recovery for Victim’s Family

Ladd Sanger represented the family of a Brazilian psychologist killed in the crash of Air France Flight 447, an Airbus A330 that went down in the Atlantic Ocean en route from Rio de Janeiro to Paris. All 228 passengers and crew on board were lost.

The investigation determined that the aircraft’s pitot tubes became obstructed, resulting in unreliable airspeed readings and the disengagement of the autopilot. In the absence of accurate data, the flight crew made a series of control inputs that led to an aerodynamic stall from which the aircraft did not recover.

On behalf of the victim’s family, Ladd pursued claims arising from the failure of critical flight instrumentation and the resulting loss of control. The matter resolved in a confidential settlement.