Concorde falls 24,000ft after engine loses power

People screamed in panic as a Paris-bound Concorde dropped 24,000ft after losing power in one of its four engines over the Atlantic on Monday, a passenger revealed yesterday.

The aircraft levelled out at 30,000 feet and completed its journey from New York at sub-sonic speeds, Air France said.

The incident is the most serious involving the supersonic Anglo-French aircraft since flights resumed last year after the Concorde crash near Charles de Gaulle airport, Paris, in July 2000.

Air France said nobody was injured in Monday's incident. It remained unclear why the engine failed, officials said, but there was never any danger. The aircraft is capable of flying with three engines, or even two.

One of the 67 passengers on the plane, the flagship of the Air France fleet, Concorde AF001, described panic and screaming as the aircraft plunged rapidly from its cruising altitude of 54,000 feet.

Amar Belgacem told reporters: "There was a big shudder and then we lost height very quickly. All the dishes smashed in the aisle. I had the scare of my life."

"There were many other shudders for about a quarter of an hour. Women were crying and children screaming. It was panic. Then the captain said a motor had stopped."

Air France said the shuddering was partly due to the fact that Concorde, as a delta-winged supersonic plane, was more sensitive to air turbulence when flying at sub-sonic speeds.

On 25 July 2000, an Air France Concorde crashed soon after take-off from Paris, killing 113 people.

Debris from a burst tyre – caused by a piece of metal that had fallen from another aircraft – pierced one of the plane's fuel reservoirs, leading to an engine fire which resulted in the pilot losing control of the aircraft.