Families Join Manslaughter Probe in Plane Crash

Three families of victims in the Air France crash have signed on as plaintiffs in a manslaughter probe into the Air France crash, reports the BBC. Under French law, they'll now have access to investigative files. The Paris prosecutor launched the probe last week, which is routine in such cases. The families are suspicious that company officials knew of air-speed sensor problems before the plane took off. "Why weren't the planes kept on the ground?" asked the lawyer for one of the families.

Meanwhile, other details emerged indicating that the plane may have taken several minutes to break apart. Bodies were recovered more than 50 miles apart, reports the Telegraph. Air France officials have promised to replace all air-speed sensors on certain planes within days, although it's still not definitive what caused the crash.
(More Air France Flight 447 stories.)