Family Of Americans Killed In Air France Crash Sue

JUAN A. LOZANO

HOUSTON (AP) — The families of two Americans killed in the crash of an Air France flight off the coast of South America in June filed a lawsuit Wednesday claiming the airline and the plane's various manufacturers knew the aircraft had defective parts that could have caused the accident.

The lawsuit was filed in Houston federal court by the families of Michael Harris, 60, and his wife Anne, 54. The Houston-area couple were two of the 228 people killed aboard Air France Flight 447 when it crashed en route from Brazil to France on June 1.

The lawsuit, which seeks unspecified damages, was filed against Societe Air France; Airbus, the plane's manufacturer; and Honeywell International Inc.; Rockwell Collins Inc.; and Thales SA, which manufactured various components related to radar equipment and other components that measure airspeed and altitude.

The cause of the crash is still being investigated and remains unclear. But attention has been focused on whether a type of speed sensor known as a Pitot tube malfunctioned and sent false speed information to the computers as the plane ran into a thunderstorm at about 35,000 feet (10,670 meters).