World

Report Closes Out Concorde Probe

January 16, 2002 / 7:38 AM EST / AP

An official report released Wednesday into the fiery crash of the supersonic Concorde in 2000 confirms a long-held theory that a piece of debris on the runway sparked the events that caused the supersonic jet to dive to the ground, killing 113 people.

That conclusion is part of a 400-page final report released by France's Accident Investigation Bureau, known by its French initials BEA.

BEA, in a statement summarizing the report, said it had concluded that a stray "part lost by an aircraft that had taken off five minutes earlier" sparked the events that caused the luxury jet to crash.

The Accident Investigation Bureau, or BEA, however, also cited a number of weaknesses in the way the French air carrier maintained its fleet of Concordes, although the report stressed that the deficiencies were not to blame for the crash, Liberation newspaper said.

"The technical investigation made clear a number of malfunctions concerning the operation of the plane, for example the use of outdated data in the initial phase of preparing flights, or the incomplete management of baggage," according to the paper.

Wholly Toledo

For those in the Midwest who'd rather not travel to New York to fly the Concorde, they'll get a chance to fly the supersonic jet out of the Toledo, Ohio, airport.

The Concorde will make a charter flight to London in April, taking passengers willing to pay $6,915. Return will be via the Queen Elizabeth II cruise ship.

"I don't believe the Concorde has ever been in Toledo," said James Hartung, president of the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority. (CBS/AP)

The BEA statement said investigators have concluded that a Concorde tire burst after running over the piece on the runway. The explosion sent rubber debris hurtling toward fuel tanks and prompting a fuel leak and fire that brought the plane down.

The report marks an end to the investigation into what caused the luxury jet to crash minutes after takeoff from Charles de Gaulle airport outside Paris on July 25, 2000. A legal investigation aimed at determining responsibility is still under way.

Air France said in a statement that a detailed check of maintenance and operations was carried out before the Concorde had been authorized to return to commercial use.

"Although they didn't contribute to the accident, the faults pointed out in the BEA report have been the objet of detailed analysis and appropriate corrective measures," the French airliner said.

RTL radio reported late Tuesday that BEA would recommend installation of black boxes that record every second, rather than every other second, and video systems in cockpits. RTL also said BEA would recommend that audits be performed on maintenance that is done on Air France and Continental Airlines planes.

French investigators say they believe the metal strip came from a Continental Airlines DC-10 that took off shortly before. However, the Houston-based airlines has said it does not believe one of its aircraft was responsible for the accident.

After months of redesigning and test flights, engineers say they have fixed the flaws that led to the crash. The flight path has been changed to avoid the town of Gonesse, where the crash occurred.

The new Concorde has been fitted with fuel-tank liners of bulletproof Kevlar, a flameproof reinforced undercarriage and newly designed, extra-resistant radial tires.

The new tires, designed by French firm Michelin, passed rigorous tests, including one that revved the wheel faster than 250 mph — the Concorde's speed at takeoff — and stabbed it with a titanium blade.

By Pamela Sampson
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