Debris Blamed for Concorde Crash
A final government report on the crash of an Air France Concorde confirmed the long-held theory that a piece of debris from a Continental Airlines plane was a factor in the accident that killed 113.
The 400-page report by France’s Accident Investigation Bureau, released Wednesday, says that the July 25, 2000, crash could not have been foreseen, but it also cites what it says are sloppy operations by Air France and Continental.
Houston-based Continental on Wednesday denied any suggestion that it was responsible for the crash.
The report said that a Continental DC-10 shed a piece of metal onto a runway that the Concorde used for takeoff. The strip caused a Concorde tire to burst, propelling rubber debris into the fuel tanks, causing a fuel leak and a fire. The report blamed the loss of the metal piece on “a lack of rigorous maintenance.”
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