Continental 'responsible' for Concorde crash in 2000
Concorde crash 2000 News Updates! A Paris court has said Continental Airlines was "criminally responsible" for the crash of a Concorde supersonic jet 10 years ago, and fined it 200,000 euros (£170,000).
It has also been ordered to pay 1m euros to the jet's operator Air France.
A Continental mechanic, John Taylor, was given a 15-month suspended prison sentence over the crash.
Continental has said it will appeal the verdict, saying it "only protects French interests".
Another airline operative and three French officials were cleared.
The Concorde caught fire shortly after take-off from Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris in July 2000, killing 113 people.
The court ruled that the crash was caused by a piece of metal left on the runway after falling from a Continental jet. Investigators said this caused a tyre-burst in the jet, which in turn ruptured a fuel tank.
Continental had disputed this interpretation, saying the airliner, operated by Air France, was already in flames before it hit the small piece of titanium.
The judge in the case confirmed inv [...]
It has also been ordered to pay 1m euros to the jet's operator Air France.
A Continental mechanic, John Taylor, was given a 15-month suspended prison sentence over the crash.
Continental has said it will appeal the verdict, saying it "only protects French interests".
Another airline operative and three French officials were cleared.
The Concorde caught fire shortly after take-off from Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris in July 2000, killing 113 people.
The court ruled that the crash was caused by a piece of metal left on the runway after falling from a Continental jet. Investigators said this caused a tyre-burst in the jet, which in turn ruptured a fuel tank.
Continental had disputed this interpretation, saying the airliner, operated by Air France, was already in flames before it hit the small piece of titanium.
The judge in the case confirmed inv [...]
