ACCIDENT CAUSE

Summary

During takeoff from runway 26 right at Roissy Charles de Gaulle Airport, shortly before rotation, the front right tyre (tyre No 2) of the left landing gear ran over a strip of metal, which had fallen from another aircraft, and was damaged.

Debris was thrown against the wing structure leading to a rupture of tank 5. A major fire, fuelled by the leak, broke out almost immediately under the left wing. Problems appeared shortly afterwards on engine 2 and for a brief period on engine 1. The aircraft took off. The crew shut down engine 2, then only operating at near idle power, following an engine fire alarm.

They noticed that the landing gear would not retract. The aircraft flew for around a minute at a speed of 200 kt and at a radio altitude of 200 feet, but was unable to gain height or speed. Engine 1 then lost thrust, the aircraftªs angle of attack and bank increased sharply. The thrust on engines 3 and 4 fell suddenly. The aircraft crashed onto a hotel.

Timeline

• 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 Flight crew and 6 cabin staff) and one hundred passengers on board.
  
  
• The Captain was Pilot Flying (PF), the First Officer 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 out 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 start-up clearance and confirmed runway 26 rightfor 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 Loc Sud controller cleared 4590 to line up.
  
  
• At 14 h 42 min 17 she gave it takeoff clearance, and announced a wind from 090¡ at 8kt. The crew read backthe 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 54.6 s, the PNF called one hundred knots, then V1 nine seconds later. A few seconds after that, tyre No 2 (right front) on the left main landing gear was destroyed after having run over a piece of metal lost by an aircraft that had taken off five minutes before. The destruction of the tyre in all probability resulted in large pieces of rubber being thrown against the underside of the left wing and the rupture of a part of tank 5 caused by a deformation of the tank wall and the propagation of the shock wave through the kerosene. A severe fire broke out under the left wing. This fule fire was ignighted possibly from arching on the 115V AC supply to the brake cooling fans which in all probability had also been damged. and around the same time engines 1 and 2 suffered a loss of thrust, severe for engine 2, slight for engine 1.
  
  
• By 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 2. The recorded parameters show a transient loss of power on engine 1 that was not mentioned by the crew.
  
  
• At around 14 h 43 min 22 s the engine fire alarm sounded and the FE announced "shut down engine 2" then the Captain called for the "engine fire" procedure. A few seconds later, the engine 2 fire handle was pulled and the fire alarm stopped. The PNF drew the PF's attention to the airspeed, which was 200 kt.
  
  
• 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 engine fire alarm sounded again for around 12 seconds. It sounded for the third time at about 14 h 43 58 s and continued until the end of the flight.
  
  
• 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 1. A few seconds later, the aircraft crashed onto a hotel at Gonesse at the intersection of the N17 and D902 roads