Concorde Report to Be Released

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Concorde Report to Be Released
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 Concorde



PARIS (AP) - A soon-to-be released official report into the 2000 crash of
the Concorde supersonic jet outside Paris criticizes Air France for
deficiencies in maintenance, a newspaper reported Wednesday.

The Accident Investigation Bureau cited a number of weaknesses in the way
the French air carrier maintained its fleet of Concordes, although the
report stressed that the deficiencies were not to blame for the crash,
Liberation newspaper said.

The luxury jet crashed just minutes after taking off from Charles de Gaulle
airport outside Paris on July 25, 2000, killing 113 people.

``The technical investigation made clear a number of malfunctions concerning
the operation of the plane, for example the use of outdated data in the
initial phase of preparing flights, or the incomplete management of
baggage,'' Liberation quoted the report as saying.

Air France said it would have no immediate comment, since the report has not
yet been made public.

The Accident Investigation Bureau, known by its French initials BEA, was
expected to release its final, 400-page report on the crash, later
Wednesday.

In its report, BEA recommends installation of black boxes that record every
second, rather than every other second, and video systems in cockpits. The
report also recommends audits be performed on maintenance that is done on
Air France and Continental Airlines planes.

Investigators believe one of the Concorde's tires burst after running over a
stray metal strip on the runway. They also have said they believe the metal
strip came from a Continental Airlines DC-10 that took off shortly before.

The explosion sent rubber debris hurtling toward fuel tanks and prompting a
fuel leak and fire that brought the plane down.

Concordes have since been fitted with fuel-tank liners of bulletproof
Kevlar, a reinforced undercarriage and stronger tires.

The new tires, designed by French firm Michelin, passed rigorous tests,
including one that revved the wheel faster than 250 mph - the Concorde's
speed at takeoff - and stabbed it with a titanium blade.

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