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Aviation History
2000
2000-1 - 0482.PDF
HEADLINES Tyre explosion probed in Air France Concorde crash REPORT BY ANDREW DOYLE, MAX KLNGSLEY-JONES, DAVID LEARMOUNT, AND GUY NORRIS/LONDON AS FLIGHT International went to press French investigators were considering the possibility that a burst tyre started a sequence of events which led to the cata strophic fire which brought down the Air France Concorde soon after take-off in Paris on 25 July. French investigators say a tyre burst late in the take-off run and rubber debris was found on the runway. According to the flight data recorder (FDR), investigators say, the No2 engine ran down shortly after rotation and subse- quendy stopped. The Nol engine ran down temporarily but then recovered full power. The FDR also shows that the undercarriage failed to retract, sug gesting the subsequent damage affected die aircraft's hydraulic sys tems. Sources say tyre bursts on the Concorde have previously punctured fuel tanks, resulting in British Airways fitting tyre deflator sensors. It is not known whether Air France followed suit. By 27 July no evidence had emerged to support initial theories that a failure of die No2 engine triggered the fuel leak, aldiough this has not been ruled out. All 109 passengers and crew on board the aircraft and four people on die ground were killed in the first fatal accident involving a Concorde in its 30-year history. Air France's Concorde fleet was immediately grounded by the French Government, but British Airways (BA) resumed services die following day after cancelling two services in the immediate after- madi of die accident. Fire took hold of die Concorde's port wing during die take-off roll, which began at 15.44 at Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) airport. The sources say die pilots were unaware of die problem until after rotation, when diey received a fire warning in the cockpit at about the same time as a verbal warning was issued by air traffic controllers. The pilot reported his speed was too fast to abort the take-off. Several pilots awaiting take-off apparently saw fire erupt from beneadi the aircraft but were unable to warn die Concorde crew because diey were on different radio frequencies. Investigators have confirmed diat the pilot radioed he was attempting an emergency landing at nearby Le Bourget, but lost con trol of die aircraft and crashed into a small hotel at Gonesse. The air craft was airborne for about 2min and travelled 7km (4nm). The aircraft departed CDG at its 185t maximum take-off weight carrying more than 90t of fuel. The pilot reported a problem widi die No2 engine shortly after take off but investigators are examining the possibility diat this may have been a consequence, rather than die cause, of die fire. Air France has confirmed that an inoperable thrust reverser on the No2 engine was repaired before departure. Witness reports filed by pilots of a taxiing aircraft adjacent to the runway suggest diat "fluid" was leaking from the aircraft on the runway during the early part of the take-off roll but had not ignited, according to die sources. One possibility being consid ered by investigators is diat debris Air France Aerospatiale/British Aerospace Concorde flight AF4590 flight profile, 25 July, 2000, Paris Charles de Gaulle. Note: nol to scale Rapid pitch-up almost vertical, maximum est height 200ft (60m) 60m-plus fire plume from left side engines and wing trailing edge TZ7. Pilot reported engine fire warning just after rotation c»cent, rolling left and tail low,, Imost vertical. Impact with grou minutes after takeoff and 6.4km Charles de Gaulle airport Paris Charles de Gaulle Her warns pilot Hotelissimo thrown up by die port main land ing gear punctured the wing and possibly a fuel line. At take-off Concorde's four engines consume around 1.5t of fuel per minute. The investigators are trying to determine whedier die fire severed hydraulic lines in die wing, causing the pilot to lose control of the aircraft. The ignition source of the fire has not been determined but die engines create a large amount of heat energy at take-off power. Amateur photographs and video footage of die incident just after take-off show die fire extending about 50m aft from die trailing edge of die port wing. Pilots that witnessed the crash say die nose pitched up almostvertically and die aircraft rolled left, before falling to impact, tail low with very little forward speed. The Concorde was chartered for a flight to New York by a German tour operator. The oldest operational Con corde, die accident aircraft was built in 1975 and entered service with Air France on 23 October, 1980. It had accumulated 11,989 flight hours and 3,978 cycles. Its last "C" check was performed on 28 April this year, while a more extensive "D" check was complet ed in September last year. The air craft spent six years mothballed during the 1970s and 1980s. FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 1 - 7 August 2000
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