02 February 2010

Concorde disaster trial starts in France

The Concorde disaster of July 2000 in which 113 were killed will go under the spotlight today when a four month trial opens to examine why the supersonic jet crashed near Paris.

Continental Airlines and five individuals are on trial at the hearing in Cergy-Pontoise after accusations were made that the carrier illegally used titanium, a very hard metal, to carry out temporary repairs on an aircraft.
French prosecutors will tell the trial that a titanium "wear strip" left on the runway by Continental and subsequently hit by a Concorde tyre, slashing it and sending rubber into fuel tanks and causing a fire, is to blame for the crash.
Continental and two of its staff are among six defendant charged with the manslaughter of 100 people. If convicted, Continental Airways faces a maximum fine of 375,000 euros (£328,000), and the five individual defendants face up to five years in prison and a fine of up to 75,000 euros (£66,000).

by Dinah Hatch


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