‘Human error’ a factor in air crash

THE 2009 Air France plane crash that killed all 228 people on board — including three Irishwomen — was caused by a mixture of human and technical mistakes.

Information leaked from the French civil aviation safety bureau’s (BEA) examination of the plane’s recently recovered black boxes has claimed the crash was linked to mechanical issues and the fact the pilot was not in the cockpit when the crisis occurred.

German magazine Der Spiegel has reported that initial findings from the investigation point to the mixture of problems.