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French Court to Rule Today on Concorde Crash Manslaughter Appeal

Air France
Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • A French court is deciding on an appeal against Continental Airlines' manslaughter conviction for the 2000 Air France Concorde crash.
  • The original ruling stated that a metal strip from a Continental DC-10, improperly attached by a mechanic, caused a Concorde tire puncture, leading to engine fires and the fatal crash.
  • The crash killed all 109 on board and four on the ground, ultimately leading to the discontinuation of the Concorde program and a $2.7 million damages order against Continental.
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More than a dozen years after the July 2000 crash of an Air France Concorde supersonic transport (SST) outside Paris, a French court will decide today whether to uphold a manslaughter conviction against Continental Airlines.

The original ruling, which was appealed, held that a Continental mechanic improperly attached a metal strip to one of the airline’s DC-10s and the strip fell off on the runway at Charles de Gaulle Airport.

Mark Phelps

Mark Phelps is a senior editor at AVweb. He is an instrument rated private pilot and former owner of a Grumman American AA1B and a V-tail Bonanza.

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