Concorde Crash Report Offers New Details of Tire Debris’ Role in Fuel Tank Rupture

It appears “more and more probable” that debris from a punctured tire hit a fuel tank and sparked a fire that caused last year’s deadly Concorde crash, French investigators said in a report released Friday.

In its report, the French Accident and Inquiry Office said investigators had uncovered details to explain what caused the supersonic jet to crash near Paris on July 25, killing 114 people. Debris from a burst tire struck a fuel tank, according to the report, causing shock waves to rupture the tank from within.

In earlier reports, investigators said they thought that the tank broke apart after it was penetrated by debris flung at a high speed.

“A significant leak resulted from this,” Friday’s report said of the ruptured tank. “The escaping fuel was whisked around in the turbulence around the landing gear and caught fire. The causes of the combustion are still being researched.”

The report also cited six earlier incidents in which burst tires perforated fuel tanks on Concordes between June 1979 and October 1993.

Of 57 incidents in which tires had burst, 30 occurred on Concordes operated by Air France and 27 on those operated by British Airways. In 12 instances, wings or tanks incurred structural damage, the report said.

Investigators have said they believe that a stray metal strip on the runway gashed one of the jet’s tires, sending debris hurtling toward fuel tanks in the left wing, prompting a fuel leak and a raging fire.

A final report is expected this year.

Friday’s report also raised questions about the maintenance of a Continental Airlines DC-10 from which the metal strip might have fallen.

Continental said Friday that it continues to cooperate with the inquiry even though the airline has not been able to confirm that the strip had come from its aircraft.