Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Ten years afterwards, Concorde crash trial reaches verdict

A supersonic Concorde owned by Air France barely made it off the floor before crashing in a ball of fire near Paris on July twenty-five, 2000. The reason for the Concorde accident was pinned on a chunk of titanium that had fallen off a Continental DC-10 cleared for takeoff ahead of the supersonic plane. Continental and a mechanic working for the airline were found guilty by a French courtroom Monday of criminal negligence.

The reason why the Concorde crashed

The Concorde crash 10 years ago killed all 109 people aboard plus four others on the ground. One of the Concorde's tires was blown up by a 17-inch long strip of titanium that fell off the Continental DC-10 according to an official 2004 accident report. A fuel tank in the port wing was punctured by some of the chunks of rubber. As the supersonic plane lifted off, leaking jet fuel ignited, leaving a spectacular trail of flame. About 10 miles north of Paris, the Concorde crashed into a motel. Then Air France made deals with all the families' of the victims. They agreed they would not sue the airline for some compensation.

The verdict of the Concorde accident

Only four months was needed with the Concorde crash litigation. About 202,000 Euros, or $268,400, was paid in fines by Continental Air Lines after being convicted of involuntary manslaughter. The company also had to pay $1 million to Air France. Concorde manufacturer EADS was also deemed culpable with the crash and ordered to pay 30 percent of damages awarded to victims. The French court prosecuted individuals involved in design, testing and certification of the Concorde for involuntary manslaughter. However, John Taylor was the only person found guilty as the Continental auto technician. He violated rules prohibiting the use of titanium while also installing it wrong.

Exactly how individuals respond to Concorde crash trial

Taylor’s culpability in the Concorde accident was punished with a 2,000 Euro ($2,656) fine and 15-month suspended sentence. Continental was mad about the judgment. It was "absurd" supposedly. Taylor’s lawyers said they will appeal. The trial was criticized because a French criminal probe, proceeding concurrently with a civil investigation, bogged down the Concorde crash investigation. The Concorde stopped flying seven years ago while the accident was ten years before Taylor's conviction. Any person who had real details about the Concorde crash ended up not telling everyone about this due to fear of being persecuted which is why lawful expert said it was a bad idea to have criminal charges.

Articles cited

CNN

cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/12/06/france.concorde.trial/index.html?npt=NP1

The Telegraph

telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/8184189/Concorde-crash-Questions-answered.html

Bloomberg

bloomberg.com/news/2010-12-03/concorde-crash-trial-may-intimidate-witnesses-harm-safety-lawyers-say.html



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