25 July 2000

Continued Take-off

Air France Concorde, Paris

Conditions and Environment

  • Good meteorogical conditions, departure with light tailwind, scattered to broken clouds, 19 degrees, QNH1008.
  • No aircraft deficiency prior to take-off. A malfunction concerning thrust reverse was rectified before departure, causing delay.
  • A McDonnell-Douglas DC-10 departing 5 minutes prior to the Concorde dropped a metal strip (435×34 mm) from the outlet of its right engine onto the runway. Manufacturing and installation of this metal strip was not according to specifications.
  • A runway inspection was not performed.
  • Departure on runway 26L, 4215×45 meters, full length.
  • The official report estimated the aircraft was overloaded by up to 1900 kg as compared to the loadsheet and by up to 1200 kg with regard to maximum take-off mass.
  • High weight and light tailwind reduced the margin to maximum tire speed.

Incident/Accident

  • At 175 KIAS, 25 knots past V1, the left inboard main wheel tire was damaged by the metal strip and failed.
  • Tire parts hit the underside of the wing, and the resulting shock wave caused a rupture in the fully filled and therefore incompressible tanks.
  • About 75-100 liters of fuel per second leaked and ignited most likely due to damage to the main gear’s electrical lines.
  • Due to the proximity of the engine inlets and the likely ingestion of hot gases and debris, engines 1 and 2 failed.
  • Gear retraction was not possible, and the V2 of 220 KIAS could not be achieved with one engine shutdown and a second engine producing only limited thrust.
  • At a speed of 200 KIAS and with the asymmetric thrust, the aircraft started to roll.
  • The crew probably attempted to stop the roll by reducing thrust, but was unable to do so or to climb beyond 200 ft AGL, while the fire further damaged the left wing.

Outcome

  • The aircraft crashed onto a hotel and was fully destroyed.
  • 109 fatalities on board, nor survivors.
  • 4 fatalities and 6 minor injuries on the ground.

What is the probability of an accident like this? Especially on aircraft types less vulnerable than the Concorde? Do the accident pictures have an effect on us when it comes to being go-minded?

More Accidents and Incidents – Continued Take-offs

The purpose of this short presentation is to focus on threats and challenges in RTO decision making. It is not the intention to judge the performance of the crew at any time or in any way.

Source and detailled information: Official Report (BEA France); see Wikipedia for a summary and other sources.