The Concorde, an aircraft once admired for its distinctive rumble and unmatched speed, is the subject of renewed discussion following a documentary that a critic argues presented an incomplete account of its tragic final flight. The supersonic jet was so revered that onlookers would stop to observe it, a sentiment that "Concorde Crash: Days That Shocked The World" reportedly conveyed little of, according to a review by Christopher Stevens.
The documentary, which aired on Channel 4, focused on the Air France Flight 4590 disaster on July 25, 2000, at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport. The crash resulted in the deaths of all 100 passengers and nine crew members aboard the Concorde, as well as four people on the ground. The review notes that the aircraft burst into flames shortly after takeoff due to insufficient thrust, leading to its catastrophic fall from the sky.
Francine Quignon-Fleuret, daughter of flight engineer Gilles Jardinaud, shared her grief and pride in her father, who was nearing retirement and anticipating becoming a grandfather. The image of the burning Concorde became a stark global symbol of the tragedy.
The official investigation concluded that a piece of metal debris, a titanium shard from a Continental Airlines DC-10 that had departed minutes earlier, had ruptured a Concorde tire. The subsequent tire burst sent fragments into the fuel tanks, igniting a fire. This explanation, however, is what the documentary "rigidly" adhered to, according to the review.
The critique highlights the work of British investigative journalist David Rose, who reportedly discovered that Air France engineers had neglected to replace a critical component, a spacer, that maintains wheel alignment. The review suggests that without this part, the Concorde's handling on the runway would have been compromised, a point evidenced by tire marks noted by the reviewer but not elaborated upon in the documentary. The presence of French President Jacques Chirac on a nearby taxiway in a jumbo jet was also mentioned as a detail the documentary overlooked, despite the potential hazard posed by the veering Concorde.