Home > Fleet > incident > AF4590 - July 25th 2000

"Tuesday July 25 11:23 AM ET
Concorde Crashes Outside Paris
 PARIS (AP) - An Air France Concorde crashed outside Paris shortly after takeoff Tuesday, slamming into a hotel in the town of Gonesse, firefighters said.
 There was not immediate word on the fate of the passengers and crew.
 France's LCI television quoted eyewitnesses as saying the aircraft was not able to gain sufficient altitude before it crashed, and that police were keeping onlookers away from the site.
 No other details were immediately available.
 The plane was en route from Paris to New York when it went down.
 The Concorde, which crosses the Atlantic at 1,350 mph, has been considered among the world's safest planes. Its only major scare came in 1979, when a bad landing blew out a plane's tires. The incident led to a design modification.
 The plane is popular with celebrities, world-class athletes and the rich. It flies above turbulence at nearly 60,000 feet, crossing the Atlantic in about 31/2 hours, less than half that of regular jetliners."

As long as Concorde is grounded, I won't made comment on the incident.
To get a full coverage of the crash : Visit BBC Web site.

Next paragraph comes from BEA report.

Summary:
During takeoff from runway 26 right at Roissy Charles de Gaulle Airport, shortly before rotation, the front right tyre of the left landing gear was damaged and pieces of the tyre were thrown against the aircraft structure. A major fire broke out under the left wing. Problems appeared shortly afterwards on engine N° 2 and for a brief period on engine N° 1. The aircraft was neither able to climb nor accelerate. The crew found that the landing gear would not retract. The aircraft maintained a speed of 200 kt and a radio altitude of 200 feet for about one minute. Engine n° 1 then stopped. The aircraft crashed onto a hotel at La Patte d’Oie in Gonesse.


HISTORY OF FLIGHT
 On Tuesday 25 July 2000 the Concorde registered F-BTSC, operated by Air France, took off from Paris Charles de Gaulle to undertake charter flight AFR 4590 to New York with nine crew members (3 FC, 6 CC) and one hundred passengers on board. The Captain was Pilot Flying (PF), the First Officer (FO) was Pilot Not Flying (PNF).

 The total weights of the aircraft and of the fuel on board stated by the Flight Engineer (FE) at the time the aircraft started were 186.9 t and 95 t respectively. The speeds selected by the crew were V1: 150 kt, VR: 198 kt, V2: 220 kt.

 At 13 h 58 min 27 s, the crew contacted ATC on the Flight data frequency and requested the whole length of runway 26 right for a takeoff at 14 h 30.

 At 14 h 07 min 22 s, the controller gave startup clearance and confirmed runway 26 right for takeoff.

 At 14 h 34 min 38 s, the Ground controller cleared the aircraft to taxi towards the runway 26 right holding point via the Romeo taxiway.

 At 14 h 40 min 02 s, the Tower controller cleared 4590 to line up. At 14 h 42 min 17 s, he gave it takeoff clearance, and announced a wind from 090° at 8kt. The crew read back the takeoff clearance. The FE stated that the aircraft had used eight hundred kilos of fuel during taxiing.

 At 14 h 42 min 31 s, the PF commenced takeoff. At 14 h 42 min 54 s, the PNF called one hundred knots, then V1 nine seconds later.

 A few seconds after that, the right front tyre on the left main landing gear was destroyed, very probably after having run over a piece of metal. The destruction of the tyre resulted in large pieces of rubber being thrown against and damaging parts of the aircraft.

 At 14 h 43 min 13 s, as the PF commenced the rotation, the controller informed the crew the presence of flames behind the aircraft. The PNF acknowledged this transmission and the FE announced the failure of engine n° 2. The recorded parameters show a momentary loss of power on engine n° 1 that was not mentioned by the crew. Eight seconds later the fire alarm sounded and the FE announced that he was shutting down engine n° 2. The fire alarm then stopped. The PNF drew the PF’s attention to the airspeed.

 At 14 h 43 min 30 s, the PF called for landing gear retraction. The controller confirmed the presence of large flames behind the aircraft.

 At 14 h 43 min 42 s the fire alarm recommenced.

 At 14 h 43 min 56 s, the PNF commented that the landing gear had not retracted and made several callouts in relation to the airspeed.

 At 14 h 43 min 59 s, the GPWS alarm sounded several times. The FO informed ATC that they were trying for Le Bourget aerodrome. The recorded parameters then indicate a loss of power on engine n° 1. A few seconds later, the aircraft crashed onto a hotel at La Patte d’Oie in Gonesse at the intersection of the N17 and D902 roads.

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