Concorde Trial To Be Held In 2009
Thursday 3rd July 2008It has been announced that Continental Airlines and five individuals are to stand trial for the Concorde accident that occured near Paris in 2000 which led to the death of 113 people. The trial has been confirmed by French judicial officials. It is expected to occur next year (2009) and should last for approximately two to three months.
The Concorde crashed as a result of a fire that was caused by a ruptured fuel tank from a piece of debris that was dropped from a Continental aircraft that was using the runway immediately before the Concorde took off. Continental have responded to the news by saying they will fight any charges.
It is claimed that the metal was titanium, when safety rules dictated it should have been aluminium which is softer, and less likely to puncture tyres. It is also claimed that Concorde's fuel tanks had a design defect that made them susceptible to damage.
The trial is a result of prosecutors recommending that the charges should be brought in March of this year.
The five individuals that are to face trial are:
- John Taylor - A Continental mechanic who is believed to be the person responsible for fitting the metal strip to the Continental aircraft.
- Stanley Ford - a Continental maintenance official
- Henri Perrier - The former head of the Concorde division at Aerospatiale that is today part of the EADS group
- Jacques Herubel - Concorde's former chief engineer
- Claude Frantzen - an ex-member of the French civil aviation watchdog
Published by: Jon Vickery
