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To: Jon Koplik who wrote (77690)	7/25/2000 12:48:46 PM
From: T L Comiskey	Respond to of 152472

Jon...OT...update on the Concorde...... July 25 — An Air France Concorde jet crashed after takeoff from Charles de Gaulle airport near Paris today, killing all 109 on board, the French Interior Ministry said. Flight AF4590 was en route from Paris to the New York area when it went down in the town of Gonesse, hitting a hotel and restaurant which firefighters said were on fire after the crash. It was the first crash involving one of the supersonic jets. French television reported that four died on the ground after the jet crashed into the 72-room Relais Bleu hotel and the nearby restaurant. A fire service spokesman suggested that one passenger may have survived the crash, but that report could not be immediately confirmed. The plane had been chartered by a German tour company, Air France said, and the passengers were on their way to New York to join a cruise ship. The German cruise organizer Deilmann confirmed it had chartered the plane, but declined further comment. Eyewitnesses Saw Fire The crash took place shortly before 5 p.m. local time, after takeoff from Paris’ Charles de Gaulle airport. Witnesses said the jet was not able to gain sufficient altitude before it crashed. France Info radio quoted an eyewitness as saying the plane’s engine was on fire and that a huge cloud of black smoke went up in the air. French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin and French Transport Minister Jean-Claude Gayssot were expected at the airport later today. In Washington, President Clinton said he “wanted to extend the deepest condolences of the American people to the families of those who are lost.” Cracks Found in Concordes On Monday, officials from both Air France and British Airways said they had found cracks in the wings of some of their Concorde aircraft, but said there was no danger to passengers. Two of the four affected Air France planes were currently in service and the other two were grounded for an unrelated, periodic review, according to a spokeswoman. The Concorde has been considered among the world’s safest planes. Its only major scare came in 1979, when a bad landing blew out a plane’s tires. The incident led to a design modification. The plane is popular with celebrities, world-class athletes and the rich. It flies above turbulence at nearly 60,000 feet, crossing the Atlantic in about 3½ hours, less than half that of regular jetliners. The jets reach a speed of Mach 2, or 1,370 miles per hour. The first Concorde plane flew in 1969. Now, 13 of the needle-nosed supersonic jets are operated by Air France and British Airways. A roundtrip Paris-New York ticket costs $9,000, roughly 25 percent more than regular first class. A London-New York roundtrip runs $9,850. Air France officials have said in the past that their current fleet is fit to fly safely until 2007. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Details on the Concorde Concorde specifications: Length: 204 ft 6 ins Wing Span: 84 ft Engines: 4 Rolls Royces-S.N.E.C.M.A. "Olympus 593" Maximum take-off weight: 186 tons (408,000 lbs) Cruising speed: 1,336 mph (Mach 2.02) Cruising Altitude: 52,500-62,500 Takeoff speed: Up to 250 mph Transatlantic flight time: 3 and one-half hours Heat at nose during flight: 260 degrees Fahrenheit