Ruptured Tank Caused Flames
G O N E S S E, France, July 30 -- A ruptured fuel tank is responsible for the flames which spewed from the Concorde as it sped down the runway to its doom, investigators with the French Accident Investigation Bureau (BEA) have determined.
And investigators have confirmed that a piece of a fuel tank was found amidst the debris on the runway the plane used to take off.
Investigators also revealed today that all of the runway debris found so far is located beyond the point where the plane reached so-called “V-1” speed, the moment in the takeoff when the pilot is committed to get airborne, and can no longer abort the takeoff.
Meanwhile, France’s transport Minister Jean-Claude Gayssot has called for a meeting of international aviation experts on to discuss new safety measures for the Concorde, before allowing Air France to resume flights on its supersonic jets. Air France grounded its five remaining Concordes after Tuesday’ fiery crash, which killed 113 people.
Burst Tires
Investigators said Friday one, and possibly two, of the four tires on the left side of the jet had come apart on the runway at Charles de Gaulle airport.
In previous incidents involving Concordes, burst tires have punctured the wing fuel tanks, although no fires ensued. Investigators have not said whether the fuel tank fire which preceded last Tuesday’s crash was caused by a burst tire.
Investigators have asked Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. for information on tires that the American company supplied for the plane. Investigators say they are trying to determine whether tire debris found on the runway came from the supersonic jet, Chris Aked, a company spokesman in Ohio, was quoted as saying in the Beacon Journal newspaper.
Goodyear spokesman David Russ said it was too soon to tell if atire explosion caused the crash. “It’s way too early to makeany assumptions or comments like that,” he said.
A History of Tire Trouble
A ruptured tire could be significant because it could send debris at high speed into fuel tanks inside of a wing and possibly into the front of an engine, causing internal damage.
When the landing gear is extended — as it would be on taxi and takeoff — the tires are almost directly below the engines. Investigators know that engine No. 2 failed during the flight, probably contributing to the crash.
“If a tire went, it could go very explosively,” a retired engineer who worked on the Concorde project said Friday. “The rubber fragments alone could probably pierce the wing and certainly if the metal rim of the wheel sheared off, that would slice through anything.”
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