Continental could be charged in SST crash

PARIS, March 12 (UPI) -- U.S. air carrier Continental Airlines should face manslaughter charges over the 2000 Concorde crash in which 113 people died, a French prosecutor said.

The public prosecutor also said a French engineer involved in development of the supersonic jet should be charged, The Independent reported Wednesday.

A judicial inquiry after the July crash concluded a piece of metal that fell off a Continental airliner caused one of Concorde's tires to burst on takeoff, sending debris through the wing. The Concorde, which had taken off from Charles De Gaulle International Airport, crashed into a hotel near Paris, killing all aboard.

A judge is expected to decide in the next few weeks whether to bring charges, the British newspaper said.

As early as August 2000, the French Air Accident Investigation Bureau said it was focusing on a blown-out tire believed to have begun the chain of events resulting in the crash.

Investigators also confirmed a 16-inch metal strip -- thought to be from another plane -- was found on the airport's runway. Continental, declining comment to The Independent Tuesday, said at the time of the crash one of its aircraft was missing a metal piece similar to the one found.