Continental faces charges over Concorde crash which killed 113
Wednesday 12 March 2008
Latest in Europe
Related articles
On Facebook
From the blogs
GCSEs are a pointless waste of time
A few facts. Last year almost 70% of 16 year olds achieved at least 5 GCSE passes with grades A*-C. ...
Asylum seekers: When the questions tell us so much more than the answers
For the last four years I've been paying my karmic dues (I would say "contributing to the big societ...
Thanks to The Sun, for enriching each of our lives
Those at the super-soaraway Sun are, yet again, making outlandish claims that they’ve changed the wo...
Ones to watch: Aiden Grimshaw to Hey Sholay
With so much new music coming out it’s difficult to keep track of what’s out there. It’s a lucky dip...
The US carrier Continental Airlines should face manslaughter charges over the Concorde crash in July 2000, a French public prosecutor has said.
A French engineer involved in development of the supersonic jet – which was taken out of service in October 2003 – should be similarly charged, according to an investigation.
A judicial inquiry after the crash concluded that a piece of metal that had fallen off a Continental airliner caused one of Concorde's tyres to burst on take-off, catapulting debris through the wing.
The plane, which had taken off from Charles De Gaulle airport in Paris, crashed into a hotel outside the French capital, killing all 113 people on board.
Onlookers watched in horror as the distinctive plane struggled to gain altitude, with flames pouring out behind it, seconds after it had left the runway. The pilot tried in vain to divert to a nearby airport.
A judge is expected to decide in the next few weeks whether bring charges, accepting the demand which was filed by the Pontoise prosecutor's office.
As early as August 2000, the French Air Accident Investigation Bureau (BEA) said it was focusing on a burst tyre which was believed to have triggered a chain of events resulting in the subsequent crash.
"The 25 July accident shows that the destruction of a tyre, an event that we cannot say will not reoccur, had catastrophic consequences in a short period of time, preventing the crew from rectifying the situation," the BEA said at the time.
Investigators also confirmed that a 40cm (16in) metal strip – believed to be from another plane - had been found on the runway at the airport. Continental Airlines, which declined to comment last night, said at the time that one of its DC-10 aircraft was missing a metal piece similar to that which was found.
- 1 Brazil rocked by abortion for 9-year-old rape victim
- 2 Osborne gets fingers burnt as pasty tax crumbles
- 3 News in pictures
- 4 Four Britons face death by firing squad after 'smuggling cocaine into Bali'
- 5 The 'suburban smuggler' facing death penalty in Indonesia
- 6 Vatileaks: Hunt is on to find Vatican moles
- 7 In pictures: The bewildering face of China
- 8 Help me decide future of press, Leveson asks Blair
- 9 World scrambles to prepare for collapse of the eurozone
- 10 Hague sent packing by Russia as Annan peace plan crumbles
- 1 Robert Fisk: Clinton's $33m raid on Pakistan shows that, in the end, hypocrisy will win
- 2 Brazil rocked by abortion for 9-year-old rape victim
- 3 Brilliant pupil's 'logical' suicide
- 4 Robert Fisk: The West is horrified by children's slaughter now. Soon we'll forget
- 5 Sex in dressing rooms and Play School presenters 'stoned out of their minds' - inside BBC Television Centre
- 6 'Hello mum, this is going to be hard for you to read ...'
- 7 Alien: The monster returns?
- 8 UN condemns Syria after massacre of civilians
- 9 Coke reveals its secret: It may need to carry a cancer warning
- 10 French in uproar over oral sex anti-smoking posters
Experience the Heineken Hub
Get free wi-fi and exclusive i content while you enjoy a tasty pint of Heineken at participating pubs.
Can you imagine a career in teaching?
Be inspired to teach - let real teachers show you how rewarding the job can be.
Playing a game-changing role during the Games
Cisco is providing the solutions for London 2012's complex IT needs.
Enter the latest Independent competitions
Win anything from gadgets to five-star holidays on our competitions and offers page.
Business videos from commercial thought leaders
Watch the best in the business world give their insights into the world of business.
Career Services
Day In a Page
'I may be deaf, but you can still talk to me'



Comments