On July 25, 2000, Air France Flight 4590 begins a takeoff roll from Runway 26R at Charles De Gaulle Airport in Paris. The airplane is a Concorde, en route to the John F. Kennedy International Airport. It is operating as a charter flight with passengers that will board a cruise ship in New York.
Barely a minute into the takeoff, the tower controller advises the flight, “You have flames behind you.” The crew acknowledges the report. Fifteen seconds later, an unconfirmed voice on tower frequency states, “It’s really burning and I’m not sure it’s coming from the engines.”
