Concorde engineers remember Paris crash and the end of an era

When flight AF4590 crashed shortly after take-off from Charles de Gaulle Airport on 25 July 2000, killing all passengers and crew on-board and several people on the ground, the immediate thought was that it had been caused by a thrust reverser bucket accidentally deploying.
Schulkins says: BA and Air France were aware of the catastrophic consequences should one deploy during take-off and they had tried to simulate handling the event over the years. Up until the accident, the problem had only occurred in-flight once and during an engine, ground run on another occasion.
The reality, though, was that the accident had been caused by foreign object damage to a tyre, which then exploded, puncturing a wing fuel tank. However, Schulkins believes that the accident helped to shine the spotlight on his employer’s findings even more brightly.