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  • 5/22/2025

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00:00The French investigators were faced with an unprecedented task.
00:05I'll tell you everything I know.
00:07The fastest passenger plane crashed during take-off.
00:12They knew they were going to die.
00:14There was no time.
00:16When it crashed, it shook the world.
00:22What caused the first fatal fall of the Concorde?
00:25The fuel leaked.
00:28The search revealed three main details.
00:30The damaged tire,
00:34the punctured tank,
00:36and the mysterious metal plate.
00:39It didn't look like anything from the plane.
00:42Will anyone solve the riddle?
00:45We couldn't connect everything.
00:49The evidence didn't give an answer.
00:58Amazing, amazing.
01:07The Air Crash Investigation
01:11This is a true story based on official documents and the testimony of eyewitnesses.
01:20Paris, Charles de Gaulle Airport.
01:22One of the busiest airports in Europe.
01:25Only here, in France, you could see the most prestigious passenger plane,
01:29the Concorde,
01:32in the air.
01:36It's really a wonderful plane.
01:38They called it the beautiful white bird,
01:41or the white rocket.
01:45It's fantastic.
01:49The Concorde in the air was another spectacle.
01:52Everybody was watching it.
01:55It was spectacular.
01:58It was noisy.
02:00It was like going on an air show.
02:03The Concorde is a miracle of technology.
02:05It's the only supersonic airliner.
02:09It can fly at twice the speed of sound,
02:12at an altitude close to space.
02:18We talk about flying at an altitude of more than 16.5 km,
02:22in a dark blue sky,
02:24it's a very, very special aircraft.
02:29The outstanding aircraft needs the same pilots.
02:34Air France 4590, taxi to Romeo.
02:38July 25, 2000.
02:40I need the whole runway.
02:42Taxi to Romeo. Board 4590.
02:45The captain that day was Christian Marti.
02:49Clear on the right.
02:52Holds you right there.
02:58Nose down.
03:14I'll get a bit of speed before I start the brakes.
03:22The Concorde had more than 23,000 flight hours.
03:25They were among the elite pilots.
03:28Jean-Louis Chatelain was also in this circle.
03:32Many pilots around the world would be happy to sit in the Concorde.
03:38But there were only a few of them who were lucky enough to be elected to board.
03:47The first flight took place in 1969
03:50as a result of the cooperation between the UK and France.
03:56The Triangle Wing, which is special for the Concorde,
03:59reduces the resistance to supersonic speed.
04:05But at low speeds,
04:07it's harder for the Concorde to gain lift
04:09in order to take off from the ground.
04:13The wing is big and the resistance is high.
04:17To overcome it, you need a lot of thrust.
04:23How much fuel did it take?
04:25The flight engineer, Gilles Jardinot,
04:27was monitoring the fuel consumption.
04:29We've got 800.
04:32The Concorde is spending it at an incredible speed.
04:35For a trip to the runway,
04:37four engines use the same amount of fuel
04:39as a car in six months.
04:47The ticket for the famous plane required a condition.
04:51The flight to New York cost more than $9,000.
04:56People on board could afford it.
04:58Believe me, some people didn't even know how much they paid.
05:054590, runway 26R, takeoff allowed.
05:104590, takeoff from 26R.
05:13The dispatcher that day was Gilles Lajellin.
05:18I was stationed in the southern control tower.
05:21I made a few overviews of two of our runways.
05:26This day was as usual.
05:28I gave him the permission to take off.
05:30Everybody ready?
05:32Yes.
05:34The Concorde's takeoff speed is 198 knots.
05:38It's 40 knots faster than the Boeing 747.
05:53The Forsage.
05:55The Forsage has been turned on in four cameras.
05:58It helps the plane reach the required speed.
06:01As it passes you by, you can feel it and hear it.
06:05It is loud and powerful.
06:07It's just a...
06:09It's just a...
06:11The spectator and the pilots.
06:16V1.
06:17V1.
06:18V1.
06:19V1.
06:20V1.
06:21V1.
06:22V1.
06:23V1.
06:24V1.
06:25V1.
06:26V1.
06:28You cannot stop.
06:30You have to go off, whatever happens.
06:42Watch out!
06:48Stop!
06:58And Marty lifted the plane into the air.
07:03Zhele Lajelim realized it was a disaster.
07:09This was a very unusual situation.
07:12We didn't have time.
07:14We don't have time.
07:16We don't have time.
07:18We don't have time.
07:20We don't have time.
07:2245-9-0, you are on fire.
07:24Roger.
07:26The plane was engulfed in flames.
07:32Failure of the second engine.
07:34Turn it off.
07:36Marty fought with the controls,
07:38and Zhele turned off the hot engine.
07:42And launched the fire-fighting system.
07:45Speed.
07:46The speed of the flight dropped dangerously.
07:50The speed of the flight dropped dangerously.
07:53Speed indicator.
07:56Something went wrong.
08:02And pilots were not taught this.
08:08Not a single pilot will want to experience this.
08:14Zhele Lajelim was in a hurry to remove the plane from the route of Concorde.
08:19I decided to clear the way,
08:21to help them somehow.
08:27The second pilot, Marco,
08:29wanted to fly to the next airport.
08:31Le Bourget. Le Bourget.
08:35But the fire quickly engulfed Concorde,
08:37and it was inevitable.
08:49The amateur video captured a terrible disaster.
08:56Fear and panic reigned in the cabin.
09:03No time.
09:04A supersonic aviation masterpiece.
09:07No.
09:13Fell on the hotel.
09:15Oh, my God.
09:17I saw a big mushroom,
09:19a pile of smoke.
09:23I think it's all going to be okay.
09:27We'll save the situation.
09:32I remember that I just fell on the carpet floor
09:35of the control room and cried.
09:42All 109 passengers and the Concorde crew died.
09:47Four more deaths.
09:49These are those who were on the ground.
09:51What else can I say?
09:53We were totally shocked.
09:55That's it.
09:59Concorde was a special plane.
10:02And when it went out of order and crashed,
10:05it shook the whole world.
10:08It really did.
10:12Before that day,
10:14Concorde was famous for its safety.
10:1731 years of flight
10:19and no accident with a fatal outcome.
10:23It was an amazing plane.
10:26And its crash shook everyone.
10:32The disaster investigation was led by Alain Billar.
10:35He had a unique task to understand
10:38what happened to the miracle of technology,
10:41which had previously seemed invulnerable.
10:47On the outskirts of Paris,
10:49the Concorde exploded with full fuel.
10:52Investigators couldn't wait
10:54to study the wreckage in search of answers,
10:57but first the firefighters had to put out the fire.
11:01The problem was that there was a terrible heat
11:04at the crash site,
11:06which meant that the rescue services
11:09were not able to get to the flight attendants.
11:17Knowing that the whole world was watching them,
11:20Billar and investigators took the case
11:23and interviewed all possible witnesses.
11:26I'll tell you everything I know.
11:29Dispatcher Lajalin saw most of it.
11:32After an accident,
11:34you remember every second of the process.
11:38I saw the flame just before takeoff.
11:47Lajalin said
11:49that a train of flames
11:51broke out from the left side of the plane.
11:56Other eyewitnesses heard an explosion
11:59when the Concorde was driving along the runway.
12:06Less than 90 seconds later,
12:08the plane crashed.
12:11Billar knew one thing for sure.
12:14Something caused the fire
12:16when the Concorde was on the ground.
12:20We were interested in the runway
12:23because everything happened
12:25during the run-up before the take-off.
12:30Billar sent investigators
12:32to the runway to look for evidence.
12:35It looks like the fuel leaked.
12:38The Concorde left a trail
12:40of black-burnt fuel.
12:44There were debris on the runway.
12:47These important evidence
12:49fell from the plane at the beginning of the crash.
12:54First of all,
12:56there were obvious traces of fire,
12:59fuel and many details of the plane.
13:03We had to collect all these parts
13:06and save them for the investigation.
13:13Meanwhile, investigators were studying
13:16the burnt debris in the hangar near the airport.
13:20Both black boxes were taken out
13:22from under the debris.
13:26But it was not known
13:28whether the information survived in the fire.
13:33There was a lot of fuel on board
13:35and the black boxes were in a terrible fire.
13:39But for the autopists,
13:41there was nothing worse.
13:45The black boxes of the Concorde
13:47were designed only for half an hour
13:49of strong heat.
13:51Investigators hurried to the laboratory
13:53hoping for the best.
13:55The parts of the tire.
13:58They found different debris on the runway,
14:01including a large metal plate.
14:03Nobody knew what it was.
14:06So where did it come from?
14:09We were dealing with a very complex plane,
14:12which was completely burnt in the fire.
14:15And there were few details left.
14:20This is a piece of a fuel tank.
14:24Among the first debris from the crash site,
14:27one was quickly identified.
14:30It came off the fuel tank.
14:39There are 13 fuel tanks in the Concorde.
14:43One is in the tail part
14:45and another 12 take up
14:47almost the entire triangular wing.
14:52The wreckage of the fuel tank
14:54on the runway was an important detail.
14:56V1
14:59This means at least one fuel tank
15:01out of 13.
15:03Here you go.
15:05It was damaged during take off.
15:10Béyar studied the last seconds
15:12of the Concorde,
15:14filmed by the driver.
15:17It must have been a massive fuel leak.
15:19There is no other way to explain such a fire.
15:23A long line of flames
15:25means that the leak
15:27is the most likely cause of the fire.
15:29A leak of this size
15:31plus the surrounding air
15:33is a very dangerous mixture.
15:35It can easily ignite.
15:40But we still don't know
15:42what caused such a leak.
15:46Fortunately, we managed to restore
15:48the recording of the negotiations.
15:50Okay, let's start.
15:53Béyar hoped that the pilots' conversations
15:55would shed light on the unclear evidence.
16:00Everybody ready?
16:02Yes.
16:04Everything went as usual.
16:06The pilots were waiting for take off.
16:08Far 3.
16:11V1.
16:13But before take off there was a bang.
16:16What's that?
16:19It looks like some kind of explosion.
16:21Please go back.
16:27What's that?
16:29Stop!
16:3145.9.0.
16:33You're on fire.
16:35Roger.
16:37Failure of the second engine.
16:39Judging by the pilots' conversations,
16:41the crew realized
16:43that the back of the plane was on fire
16:45only after the dispatcher
16:47told them about it.
16:49Béyar knew exactly
16:51when the fire started.
16:53But he didn't know
16:55what caused it.
16:59Well, I'd like to look at the wreckage.
17:03Some parts of the Concorde
17:05were made in America
17:07and the Transport Safety Committee
17:09sent Bob McIntosh to France.
17:11It's unique that a French plane
17:13in France
17:16was a representative
17:18of the United States.
17:20But on the Concorde
17:22there were tires
17:24made in America.
17:26Among the wreckage on the runway
17:28there were large pieces of tires
17:30weighing more than 4 kg.
17:32What's that?
17:34To withstand the weight of the plane
17:36and the temperature during take off,
17:38the Concorde tires
17:40were reinforced with a strong rubber belt
17:42and filled with nitrogen
17:44Airplane tires
17:46in general
17:48are very different
17:50from those in an automobile.
17:52They have to withstand
17:54an incredible amount of weight.
17:56For instance, the Concorde,
17:58a hundred and...
18:00These are very, very strong tires.
18:02A punctured wheel
18:04of the Concorde
18:06can burst like a bomb.
18:08Maybe a fragment
18:10flew up and punctured
18:13it in the wing.
18:17Watch out!
18:19The force with which
18:21the tire can explode
18:23is not simply a puncture.
18:25It's not simply a reinforced puncture.
18:27There's a rubber belt
18:29around the puncture
18:31and rubber belt
18:33that's probably going to be
18:35a potential for damage.
18:37There were six cases
18:39in the archives
18:41when the Concorde tire
18:43burst and damaged the tank.
18:45We found many examples
18:47of punctured and damaged
18:49tires and rims.
18:55In 1979
18:57there was the most serious case.
18:59The tire burst
19:01and damaged the tank
19:03so much that the crew
19:06had to sit down
19:08shortly after the take-off.
19:10To avoid this,
19:12the authorities ordered
19:14to change the tires more often.
19:16What could damage
19:18a relatively new tire
19:20during the take-off?
19:22The investigators looked
19:24at the metal fragments.
19:26Maybe something
19:28broke into the tire.
19:32Something like this.
19:36The metal strip
19:38that we found
19:40had exactly the same shape
19:42as the puncture on the tire.
19:44There were a lot of theories
19:46in the first two or three days
19:48about how the tire,
19:50the metal strip
19:52and the fuel
19:54that was liberated
19:56from the left side
19:58of the airplane came together.
20:00I want to know
20:02what it came from
20:04and find out
20:06how much of the loaded Concorde
20:08weighs.
20:10I want to try.
20:14This was the scene
20:16of the crash of the Concorde
20:18in Paris in July.
20:20The crash shocked
20:22travelers and aviators
20:24all over the world.
20:26The Ministry of Transport of France
20:28cancelled all flights of the Concorde.
20:30The UK also
20:33cancelled all flights
20:35of the British Airways.
20:37In London, the Concorde
20:39cancelled all flights
20:41and, depending on the results
20:43of the investigation,
20:45the Concorde may not
20:47take off again.
20:49That was a major blow,
20:51particularly for the UK
20:53operation, especially
20:55for the British Airways.
20:57I think Air France
20:59expected this outcome.
21:01It was a well-known plane,
21:03the only supersonic
21:05and the first fatal accident.
21:09The investigators were interested
21:11in the mysterious metal strip
21:13from the runway.
21:15I thought it didn't look like
21:17anything that came from the airplane
21:19and the strip was bent
21:21in such a shape.
21:23We were all wondering
21:25if it had come off
21:27a cleaning machine
21:30or a small baggage cart
21:32that was transported
21:34around the airport someplace.
21:38But the finding pointed
21:40in a different direction.
21:42The laboratory analysis
21:44revealed that the strip
21:46was made of light titanium,
21:48which is often used
21:50for aircraft parts.
21:52There were rivets on the strip,
21:54so we decided
21:56that it was used in aviation.
22:00The red substance
22:02on one side
22:04also indicated
22:06that the strip
22:08could have fallen off the plane.
22:12The laboratory analysis
22:14revealed that it was glue
22:16that is often used
22:18in aviation repairs.
22:20We had to do a lot of work
22:22to make sure that the rips
22:24on the strip
22:26and the damage
22:28that was seen
22:30during the run-up
22:32were not caused by the glue.
22:34For some reason,
22:36the metal strip
22:38became a mortal danger
22:40on the strip.
22:42Next, please.
22:44Next.
22:46There was a tremendous
22:48amount of pressure
22:50in the Bureau.
22:52Next.
22:54Next.
22:57It's pretty clear
22:59that the strip
23:01didn't come from Concorde.
23:03We need to come back.
23:05I spent
23:07more than two weeks
23:09on the investigation
23:11and we still don't know
23:13where it came from.
23:17After careful work,
23:19it became clear
23:21that the strip
23:23didn't come from Concorde.
23:25What I need
23:27is a list
23:29of all the planes
23:31that used the strip
23:33before Concorde took off.
23:39Charles de Gaulle
23:41and other international airports
23:43take hundreds of flights a day.
23:47The strips often
23:49contain metal parts.
23:51The plane can lose
23:54if it needs to be repaired.
23:56Sometimes, the observation doors
23:58are poorly closed.
24:00They can fall off.
24:02But the strip is checked
24:04several times a day
24:06and the garbage is removed.
24:08Okay.
24:10It wasn't there in the morning.
24:12That leaves the planes
24:14that took off after one o'clock.
24:18We searched
24:20by elimination method.
24:23We knew
24:25that the strip didn't come
24:27from Concorde
24:29or some ground vehicle.
24:33Then we started to check
24:35the planes
24:37that took off before Concorde.
24:39Knowing when the strip was checked,
24:41Billard was able to narrow
24:43the search circle
24:45to two models.
24:47That's more like it.
24:49That part is either
24:51from DC-10.
24:53Let's figure it out.
25:03The investigators
25:05were searching
25:07for the right part.
25:09This isn't it.
25:11Good luck.
25:13What's this?
25:15Maybe it was a titanium plate
25:17from the DC-10 engine.
25:20It protects the moving parts
25:22from wear.
25:24But it's not necessary
25:26for the safety of the plane.
25:28Certainly, there was a great deal
25:30of questions.
25:32Could this be true
25:34that the strip
25:36is a part of the DC-10 engine?
25:38The world couldn't wait
25:40when the investigators
25:42would answer
25:44why the greatest achievement
25:46of civil aviation
25:48was a strip.
25:50The investigators
25:52at the Charles de Gaulle airport
25:54were lucky.
25:56One of them noticed
25:58something strange
26:00on the DC-10 engine
26:02that regularly flew
26:04from Paris to the USA.
26:06But he was seen
26:08only a second before takeoff.
26:10He saw the plane only briefly
26:12but he said
26:14that something was wrong with it.
26:17Maybe that's the part
26:19from it.
26:23According to the magazine,
26:25the DC-10 took off
26:27from runway 26P
26:29a minute before Concorde.
26:31Maybe this is the right plane?
26:33This is not the same.
26:35But it's better
26:37not to find it.
26:39We didn't have the metal strip.
26:41It was taken by the French gendarmerie.
26:43Billard gave McIntosh
26:45a copy of the part
26:47hoping to find out
26:49if it fell from the suspected DC-10.
26:51We were all glued to the phone
26:53and we were guessing
26:55when we would be able
26:57to look at this plane.
26:59By this time,
27:01it had already flown away
27:03from Charles de Gaulle
27:05and was flying somewhere
27:07in North America.
27:09McIntosh tracked the DC-10
27:12and flew after it
27:14to inspect the engine.
27:18It really became a challenge
27:20to find this plane
27:22and then to find
27:24where this part
27:26had come from.
27:28If McIntosh didn't know
27:30where the strip came from,
27:32the death of Concorde
27:34could have remained a mystery.
27:38Allan Billard
27:40came up with a theory
27:42that could explain
27:44one of the most terrible
27:46plane crashes in history.
27:48Let's see if it can set the track.
27:54Unbelievable.
27:56But it all came down
27:58to a thin metal plate.
28:00It could have fallen
28:02on the 26P runway.
28:04V1.
28:06Concorde's tire burst because of it.
28:09Stop!
28:11And it hit the fuel tank.
28:15It was time to check the theory.
28:17We had to repeat
28:19the tire burst
28:21to find out
28:23whether the metal plate
28:25could have caused
28:27the damage
28:29that we saw
28:31among the debris.
28:33The investigators
28:35made an exact copy of the plate
28:37and placed it
28:39under a completely new
28:41Concorde's tire.
28:45The cart was loaded
28:47with heavy blocks
28:49to recreate the load
28:51on the Concorde's wheel.
28:5325 tons.
28:55It was necessary to find out
28:57whether a strong tire
28:59could burst
29:01if it passed
29:03through a thin metal strip.
29:07The answer was
29:11impressive.
29:13Amazing.
29:15You can't ask for better evidence.
29:17That was great.
29:19Perfect.
29:27This plane is tough on tires.
29:29And it seems fuel tanks too.
29:33Alain was sure.
29:36To confirm his theory,
29:38the investigators
29:40examined the debris
29:42of the Concorde's fuel tank.
29:44There was one problem.
29:46If the tire
29:48hit the fuel tank,
29:50the edges of the holes
29:52should have been bent inward.
29:54But the edges of the debris
29:56were bent outward.
30:00Alain's theory was cracking.
30:02I don't get it.
30:04I just don't get it.
30:06If the tire didn't hit the tire,
30:08then what?
30:10The investigation was in a dead end.
30:14We had the details,
30:16but we couldn't connect everything.
30:18The pieces of the tire,
30:20the titanium plate,
30:22the debris of the fuel tank.
30:24They remained separate parts.
30:26And we couldn't
30:28connect them.
30:31What are we missing?
30:33I have never seen
30:35anything like this.
30:37To damage the fuel tank
30:39in this way
30:41was something
30:43unique.
30:47Before Billard,
30:49there was a unique task.
30:51What pierced the tank
30:53of the Concorde from the inside?
30:55If Alain doesn't find the answer,
30:57113 deaths will remain a mystery.
31:01The debris of the fuel tank
31:03of the Concorde
31:05led the investigators to a dead end
31:07and threatened to disrupt
31:09the whole investigation.
31:11A lot of fuel.
31:13On the day of the crash,
31:15all 12 tanks
31:17in the massive triangle wing
31:19of the Concorde were full.
31:23For such flights as Paris,
31:25New York,
31:27the tanks of the Concorde
31:29were full to the maximum.
31:31Without full tanks,
31:33it would not have enough fuel
31:35to cross the Atlantic Ocean.
31:43The only thing in the fuel tank
31:45is the fuel.
31:49Maybe what the fuel tank
31:51pierced
31:53is the fuel itself.
31:55The full tank
31:58is the weakest point
32:00of the tank.
32:02If the tank
32:04collides with the liquid,
32:06it can create a powerful wave
32:08and pierce the wall
32:10in another place.
32:14The liquid will come in motion
32:16and will evenly press
32:18on the entire surface
32:20of the tank.
32:22And at the weakest point
32:24there will be a hole.
32:26Put full fuel tanks.
32:28Alan hoped
32:30that the computer model
32:32would prove it.
32:34A piece of tire is 5 kilograms.
32:36Such a scenario
32:38was possible only
32:40if the tanks were full.
32:42That's all.
32:44Let's watch it.
32:46Bayer knew
32:48that his theory
32:50would not be accepted immediately.
32:52There was not a single case
32:55where the computer simulated
32:57the impact of the tire
32:59on the fuel tank.
33:01The moment of truth has come.
33:03Let's try it again.
33:05Only this time
33:07aim over to the left.
33:11Maybe we'll find the weakness.
33:15Fire!
33:21And then
33:23the tank is pierced.
33:25Bravo!
33:29If the tire hits the tank,
33:31it can explode from the inside.
33:33We were sure
33:35that this is how it happened.
33:41It was a revelation for us.
33:43Here is a convincing explanation
33:45of how such a fuel leak
33:47happened.
33:50The most important thing
33:52was to find out
33:54where the part came from.
33:56In Houston, Bob McIntosh
33:58went to inspect DC-10,
34:00the plane that took off
34:02in front of Concorde.
34:04We were met by the
34:06Continental Airlines security manager.
34:08We all realized
34:10that this is a very serious issue.
34:12And after our inspection
34:14there might be
34:16important consequences.
34:18Bob immediately noticed
34:20something unusual.
34:22One plate was missing
34:24on DC-10.
34:26Take a closer look at that one.
34:30We had the mechanics
34:32remove the cowling
34:34and expose the area
34:36where the plate was missing.
34:40There was a similar red glue
34:42on its place,
34:44as on the parts in France.
34:47It obviously didn't fit
34:49very well,
34:51and somebody
34:53tried to glue the plate
34:55with mastic
34:57or glue.
35:01Let's see if the last one
35:03is in the lab.
35:05There were extra holes
35:07for the rivets on the engine.
35:09Bob carefully checked
35:11if they would match
35:13the holes on the plate
35:15with the cowling.
35:21We have a winner.
35:23We found the culprit.
35:25There was no doubt
35:27in our mind
35:29that the plate
35:31came from this airplane.
35:33So there were some mixed feelings
35:35there at that time.
35:41McIntosh had to find out
35:44how the part
35:46that led to the tragedy
35:48could come off
35:50from a large American airplane.
35:52He checked the records
35:54of DC-10's maintenance
35:56and found out
35:58that the plate was replaced
36:00a couple of weeks before the accident.
36:08The holes in the plate
36:10didn't match
36:12the holes
36:14on the engine's hull.
36:16McIntosh drilled new holes
36:18and added glue
36:20to fix it better.
36:28The analysis confirmed
36:30that the glue on the DC-10
36:32matches the one
36:34on the scraps
36:36from the Charlie De Gaulle's runway.
36:42There was no intent
36:44to violate the instructions.
36:46The job wasn't done
36:48to a professional level
36:50that you would expect
36:52from a first-line airline.
36:57The part lasted
36:59only 16 days
37:01and landed on the runway
37:035 minutes before Concorde took off.
37:06There was one question left.
37:08There was no time.
37:10Why didn't the pilots
37:12cancel the take-off
37:14to save the passengers?
37:16No.
37:19The specialists
37:21recovered the data
37:23from the burnt-out plane.
37:25Are you ready?
37:27Yes.
37:49Engines are fine.
37:51The take-off is in progress.
37:53This information
37:55and the conversation
37:57show a vivid picture
37:59of the development
38:01of the accident.
38:07The plane
38:09on the runway
38:11is 4 km long.
38:13V1.
38:15320 km per hour.
38:19Watch out!
38:21What is it?
38:23It took 1.5 km
38:25to stop after the burn-out.
38:27Stop!
38:29But there was less than 1 km of runway left.
38:31The pilots had to lift
38:33the burning plane.
38:35If they canceled the take-off
38:37at 180 knots,
38:39they would have
38:41completely destroyed the plane.
38:45Two of the four engines were on fire.
38:49The first two failed
38:51almost instantly.
38:55The pilots had to control
38:57the plane that lost
38:59half of the thrust.
39:03The plane could not gain altitude
39:05with two engines.
39:09What's the airspeed?
39:11Airspeed!
39:15It's totally surprising
39:17that this happened
39:19in something like 3 seconds
39:21of flight.
39:23It's not a lot of time.
39:27We all know
39:29that speed is important
39:31for planes with triangular wings.
39:33Concorde was in a very difficult position.
39:40Gear up!
39:42Marty wanted to raise the gear
39:44and reduce the resistance.
39:47I'm trying, Jean!
39:49The gear did not come off
39:51because of the damage.
39:53When the tire burst,
39:55it damaged the sensors
39:57on the gear locks.
39:59Because the locks
40:01were in the wrong position,
40:03the pilots could not remove the gear.
40:07The pilot showed
40:09that the crew was fighting hard
40:11to save the plane.
40:13But the wing caught fire.
40:17At one point, they knew
40:19that they would die.
40:21No one panicked.
40:23They tried to find
40:25a solution until the very end.
40:27According to estimates,
40:29the temperature of the flame
40:31was 1100 degrees.
40:33It was enough to melt the wing.
40:39No time!
40:41No!
40:43No!
40:55There was nothing.
40:59We decided
41:01that from that moment
41:03when the plane
41:05hit the titanium plate,
41:07the tragedy was inevitable.
41:10The report recommended
41:12how to make the Concorde
41:14safer.
41:16The engineers created
41:18more durable tires.
41:20They better maintain
41:22the speed and weight of the plane.
41:24The fuel tanks were reinforced
41:26with Kevlar to protect them
41:28from leaks.
41:30The airport management
41:32improved track
41:34and garbage collection.
41:36What is puzzling is that
41:38a piece of metal
41:40of 200 grams
41:42was lying on the runway
41:44and caused
41:46one of the most terrible
41:48crashes in the history of aviation.
41:52A year after the crash,
41:54a funeral service
41:56took place
41:58and saved 113 lives.
42:00I was with them
42:02and also connected
42:04with this crash.
42:07I would have given everything
42:09to not be there
42:11on that day,
42:13but it was too late.
42:17Fifteen months
42:19after the crash,
42:21the Concorde was flying again.
42:23Soon, Alain Billard
42:25made a flight
42:27on the plane
42:29that he helped to save.
42:33I flew as a passenger
42:35on the Concorde.
42:37I remember the color
42:39of the sky
42:41at 18 kilometers.
42:43It is a feeling
42:45when the plane
42:47gains high speed.
42:51It is a unique experience.
42:53I have never felt
42:55and probably
42:57will never experience it again.
43:01The only supersonic
43:04aircraft in the history
43:06of aviation
43:08was the Concorde.
43:10Two years later,
43:12with the rise of fuel prices
43:14and a drop in profits,
43:16Air France and British Airways
43:18signed off on the Concorde.
43:20The last flight
43:22took place on November 26, 2003.
43:24For the first time in aviation history,
43:26we stepped back.
43:28We had supersonic flights.
43:30There are no more.
43:34When the Concorde
43:36was retired,
43:38it was a sad day.
43:40On the other hand,
43:42we had been using it
43:44since 1965.
43:46It was probably time
43:48to write off the plane
43:50and move on to something
43:52more modern.