Bangkok--Dec 16--eTurbo news
Response to Continental's Denial of Responsibility in Concorde Crash
Despite an official French report declaring that a metal strip that fell off a Continental DC-10, and a fuel tank design flaw on the Concorde, were directly responsible for the crash of the Concorde in Paris on July 25, 2000, Continental Airlines has issued a statement denying any responsibility for the crash.
Terry O'Reilly of the San Mateo, California, law firm of O'Reilly Collins & Danko, who represents the families of the crews of the Concorde, has issued the following statement:
"It is disgusting and inexcusable that Continental Airlines still refuses to take any responsibility for the Concorde disaster. The crash of the Concorde on July 25, 2000, shortly after leaving Charles de Gaulle Airport, was the only fatal accident in the 40-year history of the Concorde. An aircraft on the cutting edge of technology was essentially brought down by the crudest kind of technological failure -- lazy mechanics who used hammers and screws to force the wrong part into a place it could not fit on the Continental DC-10. The part that was used was several inches too long and was repeatedly drilled by Continental employees to make it fit.
"In addition, the strip was made of the wrong metal. Had it been made of stainless steel, as required by the blueprints for the plane, the Concorde would have run over the strip without incident. Instead, the part was made of a much harder titanium alloy which formed a knife edge that ripped the Concorde tire apart. Flying fragments of the burst tire punctured the Concorde's fuel tanks resulting in the fire and explosion that killed 109 passengers and crew members and four people in a hotel on the ground. The stupidity of the actions of the mechanics sinks to the level of criminal negligence. It is not surprising that French courts are proposing indictments.
"One can hardly imagine the horror of the crew, unable to see the gaping hole in the fuel tank that was feeding fuel into the afterburners, as they realized that a catastrophic accident was imminent which they were powerless to prevent. Continental's complete failure to assume any responsibility for what happened is a good illustration of the reasons why ordinary passengers need to be able to file lawsuits against the powerful and irresponsible."
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