^{The Concorde Crash Summer 2000}

^{From the Aviation Safety Network website - Air France Concorde crash}

<sup>The Air France Concorde, registered F-BTSC, was to departed Paris-Charles de Gaulle for a flight (4590) to New York. Departure was delayed by about one hour because the crew had requested a replacement of the thrust reverser pneumatic motor of the no.2 engine. Also, the rear bogie truck of the left hand main undercarriage was replaced. When all 100 passengers had boarded, the plane taxied to Runway 26R (4217m long). Take-off weight was calculated to be 185,1 tons, including 95 tons of fuel, which is close to the maximum take-off weight. Thirty-two seconds after brake release the aircraft passed the V1 speed of 150kts; the aircraft was at 1200m down the runway at that moment. At 1600m down the runway a.o. pieces of tire, water deflector and fuel tank were found together with a 40cm long thin metal strip, which did not come from the Concorde. The pieces of tire belonged to one tire of the front bogie of the left hand main undercarriage. At about that time a fire erupted, probably fed by a leak in the fuel tank beneath the left wing. Shortly before rotation the control tower reported the fire to the crew. During rotation, around 2100m down the runway, the no.2 engine lost power before stopping completely and the no.1 engine started to lose power as well. After becoming airborne the landing gear did not retract, and almost one minute after rotation the no.1 engine failed as well. The aircraft entered a left turn until control was lost, crashing into hotel 'Hotellisimo' and bursting into flames.
Latest:
- A 40cm long thin metal strip that did not come from the Concorde was found on the runway
- Debris of tires found on runway
- Pilot reported engine failure prior to crash
- French call for indefinite grounding of Air France Concorde fleet
- Work had been carried out on an engine just prior to departure
- Cockpit voice recorder and Flight Data Recorder found</sup>

^{Landing gear data:}

^{The mainwheel tyre size measures 47 inch (119cm outer diameter) x 22inch (56cm width) and are pressurized at 12.9 bars (187 lb/sq inch) ( 1 bar = 100 000 Nm-2)}

^{Metric conversions:}

^Questions

^{1. What percentage of the plane's mass was originally fuel ?}

^{2.  What per centage is the V1 speed of the take off speed which is 400kmhr-1 ?}

^{3. What do you think the term 'V1 speed' means ?}

^{4.  If the linear speed of the wheels on the runway at take off  was 400kmhr-1, what is the momentum of a 4kg  fragment as the tyre exploded? Also calculate its maximum angular momentum of this fragment as it leaves the tyre.}

^{5. Explain how the Concorde was able to take off, despite this explosion.}

^{6. Explain how the fuel loss would actually have accelerated the aircraft, and caused it to veer off course.}

^{Additional information:}

^{Concorde facts}

^{The A-Z of Aviation jargon}

^{There is an excellent animation of the crash at the Guardian special report site}

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