Here is a more idiomatic translation, done by Google and corrected by me (who knows some French): Concorde: Composition of the metal fragment at the origin of the crash blamed CERGY, 20 July 2004 (AFP) - The fact that a piece of the DC-10 which the Concorde ran over before crashing in July 2000 was titanium rather than the original alloy, had a "direct effect" on the accident, it was learned Tuesday from a Magistrate's office in Pontoise. "The fact that the fragment of the DC-10 was of a different metallic composition (titanium), rather than the original alloy, had a direct effect in the crash of the Concorde", the same source indicated. According to the Magistrate's office, forensic experiments performed on materials used in the tires of the Concorde showed that the original alloy of this piece "does not cut tires", unlike titanium. The Office of Accident Investigation (BEA) had concluded in July 2001 that the fire in the fuel tanks, at the outset of the accident causing the crash, had been caused by the projection of pieces of tires which had been cut by a metal plate which came from a DC-10 of the American carrier Continental Airlines. -- Michael C. Berch mcb@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx