Aero-News: Quote of the Day

ANN's Quote of the Day usually derives from current news, though we reserve the right to pick quotes out of history that have a bearing on the day's events and issues.

Sometimes, you'll find them timely and in keeping with the content of the day's news... and sometimes, they'll just be thought-provoking.

Reader suggestions and comments are welcome... and if particularly intriguing, timely, or poignant, may themselves become future Quotes of the Day.

Let us hear from you, folks!

Aero-News Quote of the Day

"We strongly disagree that anything Continental did was the cause of the Concorde accident, and we are outraged by the media reports that criminal charges may have been made against our company and its employees."

Source: Continental Airlines statement after the French newspaper Le Parisien reported a French court has subpoenaed company executives as part of the Concorde crash investigation. On July 25th, 2000, an Air France Concorde crashed shortly after take-off, killing 113 people. A subsequent inquiry found a Continental Airlines DC-10, which had departed the same runway five minutes earlier, dropped a "wear-strip" from one of its engine nacelles. That piece of metal, according to the inquiry, then punctured the tires of the Concorde. French authorities say the wear-strip was a replacement part and, instead of being made of aluminum, as was the original part, was made of titanium. French authorities say, because Continental replaced the aluminum wear-strip with one made of titanium, the tougher metal was able to puncture the Concorde's tires, starting a chain of disasterous events which culminated in the supersonic airplane's fiery demise.

FMI: www.continental.com