Below are the final words of the crew of Air France Concorde Flight 4590 which crashed in flames nearly ten years ago. The crew were unaware that anything was wrong until they were informed by the Charles de Gaulle air tower.
When you read this at normal speed, you will realise how little time it took from take-off to the crash which killed 109 people aboard the flight and four people on the ground. The trial stemming from the crash begins today.
Continental Airlines, as well as five individuals, face manslaughter charges based on the assertion that a piece of metal had fallen from a previous plane as it took off and that Air France Flight 4590 had run over the piece of metal, which burst a tyre, whose debris flew into one of the Concorde’s engines, causing the fuel tank to burst into flames.
Continental Airlines says that it is being scapegoated and that Concorde had defects which caused the explosion. On trial are Contenental employees John Taylor and Stanley Ford, as well as French civil aviation trainer Claude Frantzen, Aerospatiale engineer Jacques Herubel, and former Concorde boss Henri Perrier.
The following is taken from the flight-deck recorder.
Date: 25 July 2000. Time: 16:42 17 sec (local time)
Control tower: “Air France 4590, runway 26 right, wind zero 90 knots (sic), take-off authorised.”
Co-pilot: “4590 taking off 26 right” (sound of switch).
Pilot: “Is everyone ready?”
Co-pilot: “Yes.”
Flight engineer “Yes.”
Pilot: “Up to 100, 150″ (followed by unclear words, sound of switch). “Top” (noise similar to engines increasing power).
Unidentified voice on radio channel: “Go on, Christian.”
Flight engineer: “We have four heated up” (sound of switch).
Co-pilot: “100 knots.”
Pilot: “Confirmed.”
Flight engineer: “Four green.”
Co-pilot: “V one” (Low-frequency noise).
Pilot: (unclear)
Co-pilot: “Watch out.”
Control tower: “Concorde zero … 4590, you have flames (unclear) you have flames behind you.”
Unidentified voice: (simultaneously on radio) “Right” (background noise changes, sound of switch).
Mechanic: “Stop (unclear).”
Co-pilot: “Well received.”
Flight engineer: “Breakdown, eng, breakdown engine two” (two sounds of switches, followed by fire alarm).
Unidentified voice on radio: “It’s burning badly, huh” (Gong)
Flight engineer: “Cut engine two.”
Pilot: “Engine fire procedure” (sound of switch, end of ringing).
Co-pilot: “Warning, the airspeed indicator, the airspeed indicator, the airspeed indicator” (sound of switch, gong).
Person in control tower: “It’s burning badly and I’m not sure it’s coming from the engine” (Switch sound similar to fire extinguisher handle being activated).
Pilot: “Gear on the way up.”
Control tower: “4590, you have strong flames behind you.”
Flight engineer: “The gear” (alarm, similar to toilet smoke alert).
Control tower: “Beginning reception of a Middle Marker.”
Co-pilot: “Yes, well received.”
Flight engineer: “The gear, no” (Gong).
Control tower: “So, at your convenience, you have priority to land.”
Flight engineer: “Gear.”
Co-pilot: “No” (two switch noises).
Pilot: “Gear (unclear), coming up.”
Co-pilot: “Well received” (fire alarm, gong, three switch sounds).
Co-pilot: “I’m trying (unclear).”
Flight engineer: “I’m hitting.”
Pilot: “Are (unclear) you cutting engine two” (end of smoke alarm).
Flight engineer: “I’ve cut it.”
Control tower: “End reception Middle Marker.”
Co-pilot: “The airspeed indicator” (sound of switch, end of ringing).
Co-pilot: “The gear won’t come up” (fire alarm rings).
Aircraft instrument: “Whoop whoop pull up”.
Aircraft instrument: “Whoop whoop pull up”.
Co-pilot: “The airspeed indicator.”
Aircraft instrument: “Whoop whoop pull up”.
Fire service leader:“De Gaulle tower from fire service leader.”
Control tower: “Fire service leader, uh … the Concorde, I don’t know its intentions, get yourself in position near the south doublet” (sound of switch).
Pilot: (unclear).
Fire service leader:“De Gaulle tower from fire service leader authorisation to enter 26 right.”
Co-pilot: “Le Bourget, Le Bourget, Le Bourget.”
Pilot: “Too late (unclear).”
Control tower: “Fire service leader, correction, the Concorde is returning to runway zero nine in the opposite direction.”
Pilot: “No time, no (unclear).”
Co-pilot: “Negative, we’re trying Le Bourget” (four switching sounds).
Co-pilot: “No (unclear).”
Fire service leader:“De Gaulle tower from fire service leader, can you give me the situation of the Concorde” (two gongs and sound of switch, followed by another switch and sounds likened to objects being moved).
Pilot: (unclear, sounds like exertion).
Pilot: (unclear, sounds like exertion).
Pilot: (unclear, sounds like exertion).
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