Report by John Lavabre
A PIECE of metal thought to have played a part in last year’s
Concorde crash in France came from a Continental Airlines jet.
The French air accident investigators believe the metal
strip fell from a Continental DC 10 that took off minutes before Concorde at Roissy
Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris on July 25 last year.
It is thought the strip may have punctured a tyre on
Concorde and triggered the chain of events that caused the Air France aircraft
to crash at nearby Gonesse, killing all 113 people.
A statement issued by Continental said: “Continental remains
unable to confirm that the metal strip in question came from one of its
aircraft as, to date, we have not been given access to the strip. Continental
continues to cooperate with the authorities investigating the accident and
wishes to express again its deepest sympathies to the families of the victims.”