Switzerland's public prosecutor has filed manslaughter charges against eight employees of Swiss air traffic control service Skyguide following the fatal July 2002 mid-air collision over Lake Constance.
All 71 people on board were killed when a Bashkirian Airlines Tupolev Tu-154 collided with a DHL Boeing 757-200 freighter.
Prosecutor Bernhard Hecht is calling for the eight Skyguide staff to face six to 15 months' imprisonment, should they be found guilty, although the trial is not expected to take place this year. Both aircraft were being handled by a single controller - who was later murdered by a victim's relative - and a German investigation attributed the collision to overloading of the controller and the absence of safety and back-up systems.
Hecht filed the charges with the district court of Bulach on 4 August. The prosecutor's office believes that organisational oversight contributed to the collision of the two aircraft, although Hecht says that the accused have pleaded not guilty.
Skyguide declines to comment on the identity or the roles of those facing charges, but says: "The police have filed the charges against private individuals, not against the organisation or as employees of the organisation. In legal terms Skyguide as a company is not involved." The company adds that it will provide the employees with legal and psychological support.
Source: Flight International
