Air France refuses to comment on pilot error report

Air France today said it would not confirm or deny a newspaper report that said the crash of a jet in Toronto last month could have been caused by a pilot’s miscalculation.

Le Figaro newspaper said analysis of one of the plane’s black boxes showed 12 seconds elapsed between the moment the plane touched down and when pilots applied the reverse thrusters, which are used to assist braking. The newspaper did not say how it obtained the information.

Air France spokeswoman Marina Tymen said the company had no comment on the report while the investigation into the August 2 crash was continuing. She said the black boxes were still in the possession of Canadian authorities.

Air France Flight 358 from Paris landed at Lester Pearson International Airport amid heavy thunderstorms, skidding off the runway for about 200 metres before slamming into a ravine and catching on fire. None of the 309 passengers or crew members died.

The Le Figaro report said that experts found the 12-second delay to be “excessive”.