LONDON (Aug. 17, 2000) — French authorities investigating the fatal crash of an Air France Concorde July 15 outside Paris have determined that debris from a burst tire on the left main landing gear punctured at least one fuel tank on that wing and set off a chain of events that led directly to the crash. The tire ``very probably´´ was destroyed because it ran over a piece of metal, investigators said.
As a result of the determination and the possiblity of a similar accident because of the aircraft´s design, the Civil Aviation Authority of the United Kingdom suspended the certificates of airworthiness for British-registered Concordes; British Airways P.L.C., which operates these Concordes, immediately suspended Concorde flights.
In describing the accident, Ken Smart of the U.K.´s Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions, said: ``The destruction of the tire has caused damage, either directly or indirectly, to the aircraft structure and systems, leading to the crash.´´
Goodyear supplies all tires to the Air France Concorde fleet. BA´s Concordes are supplied by Dunlop Aircraft Tyre Co., an independent company with no connections with either Goodyear or Dunlop.