French investigators said this week that they will release a final report in June into the causes of the 2009 crash of a Rio to Paris Air France flight that killed 228 people.

"The BEA (French aviation safety authority) will make the final report of its investigation public on 5 July 2012 during a press conference," the BEA said.

The Airbus A330 plunged into the Atlantic en route from Rio to Paris on 1 June, 2009.

The BEA released a preliminary report into the crash last July saying pilots failed to react correctly when the Airbus jet stalled and lost altitude after its speed sensors froze up and failed.

Air France has insisted the pilots were not to blame, saying the stall alarm had malfunctioned.

The head of an association for victims' families, Robert Soulas, meanwhile said French magistrates would release on 30 June a report from legal experts in a separate criminal probe of the crash.

"It will contain the first conclusions of legal experts and will be submitted to civil parties," he said.

French magistrates are investigating Air France and Airbus for alleged manslaughter in connection with the crash, notably because of the malfunctioning speed sensors, known as Pitots.

The airline replaced the Pitots, manufactured by French company Thales, on its Airbus planes with a newer model after the crash.