Air France Concorde Crash Inquiry Begins

Almost ten years after the Air France Concorde crash that killed 113 people and started the end of the supersonic plane era, five men and Continent Airlines are to stand trial in Paris. These men and the carrier are accused of being responsible for the disaster. This four month trial in Cergy Pontoise will seek to find out why the Air France Concorde crashed while taking off from Charles de Gaulle airport on July 25^th, 2000. Finding out why and how the plane crashed will determine the fate of the accused’s fates.

French prosecutors will argue that an 18 inch scrap of titanium on the runway caused the accident. This is a piece that a Continental Airlines DC-10 jet shed on the runway shortly before takeoff. This 18 inch scrap of titanium tore up the Concorde’s tyre and spit pieces of rubber into the fuel tanks. This, of course, caused a fire and the rest is history.

Continental Airlines is accused of using titanium, despite it not being allowed for temporary repairs on aircrafts. The airline’s lawyer will argue that a key part of the undercarriage had been accidentally left out by Air France ground staff. This caused too much weight to bear on the tires, which of course exploded when it hit a bump in the runway.

It is still early in the trial, but more news and updates are expected to come out as this four month trial rages on. Experts are saying that this could go anyway right now and will have to hear more details before they can determine which side they believe is right.