Ruling Names Airline, Mechanic As Liable In 2000 SST Accident

Continental Airlines and one of its mechanics are guilty of homicide in the 2000 accident which spelled the beginning of the end of the Concorde, a French judge has ruled.

 
File Photo

113 people were killed when the aircraft went down on takeoff. The judge ruled that a strip of metal that came off a Continental DC-10 which had departed minutes before punctured a tire on the SST. The tire failed as the airplane accelerated, and debris from the disintegrating tire punctured the aircraft's fuel tanks, causing a fire.

The New York Times reports that the court ordered Continental to pay $1.3 million in civil damages to Air France, and fine the airline $265,000. The mechanic responsible for maintenance of the DC-10 was fines $2,650, and given a 15-month suspended prison sentence. The court acquitted three other people who had been involved in the design and certification of the DC-10.

DC-10 Wear Strip File Photo

Mechanic John Taylor was faulted for using titanium when he fabricated a "wear strip" to replace one on the DC-10. The court said a softer metal such as aluminum should be used. He was also found to have "improperly attached" the wear strip to the airplane.

Continental called the ruling "absurd", and that it would appeal the judgement. The case has been in French court for over a decade. The airline said the evidence presented did not support the facts in what it called a "tragic accident" in a statement.

DC-10 Wear Strip File Photo

Air France had not been accused of any wrongdoing in the accident. It had sought $20 million from Continental in the case, having settled with the families of those killed in the accident for $150 million in 2001. The Concorde, which had been losing money for Air France and British Airways for some time, was retired in 2003.

FMI: www.airfrance.com, www.continental.com