This was a spectacular disaster involving the Concorde, the world's fastest and most radically designed passenger liner. In 2000 the crash shocked the world and put an end to the airplane's career.
The take off was from Charles DeGaulle Airport in Paris. The Concorde needed to attain a speed of 170 knots before lift off, faster than a 737 in flight. It was designed for high speed at altitudes that brush the stratosphere, not for low-speed take offs and landings.
In this instance there was a bang, and once off the ground the Concorde caught fire and trailed flame and smoke before crashing into an airport hotel.
The investigation that followed was, as usual, worthy of Sherlock Holmes. The fire began just before the Concorde took off, meaning that the fuel tank had ruptured. What could have caused the rupture? A tire blew out and remnants of tough rubber punctured the tank. But what made the tire blow out? A thin strip of metal, about two feet long, found on the runway. Where did the strip come from? A DC-10. Which DC-10? The one that took off a few minutes before the Concorde. And where is that individual airplane now? In the USA, grounded and waiting to be inspected. A thin strip of metal is missing from the engine. Q.E.D.
These guys are amazing. But they can't save the Concorde. It's retired two years later, not because of the accident but because of rising fuel costs and a dearth of passengers -- at nine thousand dollars a pop.
The take off was from Charles DeGaulle Airport in Paris. The Concorde needed to attain a speed of 170 knots before lift off, faster than a 737 in flight. It was designed for high speed at altitudes that brush the stratosphere, not for low-speed take offs and landings.
In this instance there was a bang, and once off the ground the Concorde caught fire and trailed flame and smoke before crashing into an airport hotel.
The investigation that followed was, as usual, worthy of Sherlock Holmes. The fire began just before the Concorde took off, meaning that the fuel tank had ruptured. What could have caused the rupture? A tire blew out and remnants of tough rubber punctured the tank. But what made the tire blow out? A thin strip of metal, about two feet long, found on the runway. Where did the strip come from? A DC-10. Which DC-10? The one that took off a few minutes before the Concorde. And where is that individual airplane now? In the USA, grounded and waiting to be inspected. A thin strip of metal is missing from the engine. Q.E.D.
These guys are amazing. But they can't save the Concorde. It's retired two years later, not because of the accident but because of rising fuel costs and a dearth of passengers -- at nine thousand dollars a pop.
