A pilot who began praying instead of enacting emergency measures before a Tunisian charter flight plummeted into the sea and killed 16 people off Sicily in 2005 has been convicted of manslaughter
A pilot who began praying instead of enacting emergency measures before a Tunisian charter flight plummeted into the sea and killed 16 people off Sicily in 2005 has been convicted of manslaughter.
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The plane's black box showed that the Tunisian pilot, Chefik Gharbi, lost control of the situation, ceded command of the plane to his co-pilot and began praying.
Gharbi and his co-pilot, who was also convicted in the case, were among 23 people who survived the crash. Both were sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Prosecutors contended that the pair had failed to put emergency measures in place.
Italian aviation authorities said the ATR-72 went down on August 6, 2005, after running out of fuel, because the fuel gauge on the plane was the wrong model and did not show that the fuel tanks were nearly empty.
Palermo Judge Vittorio Anania also blamed human error and convicted Gharbi and co-pilot Ali Kebaier of manslaughter.
Another five people, including airline executives, were convicted and received lesser sentences, while two people were acquitted. The ruling was handed down on Monday and defense lawyers plan to appeal, the reports said.
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