Continental blamed for Concorde crash

CONTINENTAL Airlines has said it will appeal against a French court ruling that it was criminally responsible for an Air France Concorde crash in Paris that killed 113 people.

A judge in Pontoise (Val d'Oise) ruled this morning that it was debris left on the runway from a Continental DC 10 that caused the fatal accident at Charles de Gaulle airport on July 25, 2000.

The airline has been ordered to pay €1m in damages to Air France and a €200,000 fine. Air France had sought €15m in damages, claiming its reputation had been severely damaged by the crash.

The Air France Concorde caught fire shortly after take-off after hitting a piece of metal on the runway, which ruptured a fuel tank, investigators said.

Continental argued in court that the jet caught fire before hitting the debris from its plane.

One of the US airline's mechanics, John Taylor, was handed a 15-month suspended prison sentence. His boss, Stanley Ford, and three French air officials were cleared.