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The 2009 Air France tragedy - what happened to Flight AF447?

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June 1st, 2009. Flight AF447 from Rio de Janeiro to Paris goes missing over the Atlantic Ocean. It sparks one of the most ambitious searches in the history of aviation.

Days later, wreckage and the remains of some of the passengers are recovered from the ocean.

A total of 228 people were killed in the disaster, including three young Irish women; Aisling Butler (26), from Co Tipperary, Jane Deasy (27) from Dublin and Eithne Walls (28) from Co Down.

The close friends had studied medicine together in Trinity College and had been travelling with friends in South America.

Their deaths have tormented their families and friends in the intervening years.

Now, 12 years later, a French court, ruling on a request from prosecutors, have overturned a previous ruling and Air France and Airbus are to stand trial over the crash.

In this InFocus podcast, host Denise Calnan speaks to Irish Independent news correspondent Eavan Murray, who has been covering the story since 2009.

We speak about the tragedy; what happened in the cockpit, and why twelve years later no-one has been held accountable.

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