What happened
On 2 ability July 2000, an Air France Concorde, registered F-BTSC, was operating a charter flight from Paris Charles de Gaulle toward New York. The aircraft was carrying 100 passengers and 9 crew members. During the takeoff roll on runway 26 right, the aircraft's second tire on the left main landing gear disintegrated after striking a piece of metal debris left on the runway by a previous departure.
The failure of the tire caused significant rubber fragments to strike the underside of the left wing, which resulted in the rupture of a fuel tank. This led to a massive release of fuel and an intense fire beneath the wing. Simultaneously, the aircraft experienced a loss of thrust in both engines 1 and 2. As the crew attempted to manage the emergency and handle the engine fire, the landing gear failed to retract.
Despite efforts to divert the flight to Le Bourget aerodrome, the aircraft lost power in engine 1 and eventually crashed into a hotel at "La Patte d’Oie" in Gonesse. The impact and subsequent fire resulted in 109 fatalities on board the aircraft, along with 4 fatalities on the ground. Five individuals at the hotel sustained injuries.
Findings
- The primary sequence began when a tire ran over debris, causing its destruction.
- A complex energy transfer involving the impact of rubber fragments and fuel movement caused the rupture of the wing tank skin.
- Leaking fuel was ignited by an electric arc or contact with hot engine components, creating a large fire.
- The inability to retract the landing gear likely helped sustain and stabilize the flames during the flight.