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Harrowing final moments in cockpit as Concorde crashed two minutes into flight and killed all passengers

Harrowing final moments in cockpit as Concorde crashed two minutes into flight and killed all passengers

The crash killed all 109 people on board

The final moments in the cockpit of a Concorde just before it crashed have been released and the transcript is tragic to read.

On 25 July 2000, Air France flight 4590 began its take off from Roissy-Charles de Gaulle airport en route to New York.

However, just 77 seconds after take-off, the plane caught fire and it crashed into a hotel in the French town of Gonesse.

All 119 people on board the flight were killed, as well as four people on the ground.

A photo of the Concorde plane has become widely known and presents a tragic picture for which will always be remembered in the small town in France.

Now, the true magnitude of what happened during the infamous accident has been revealed after a transcript of Captain Christian Marty's last words was released.

Air France flight 4590 caught fire and crashed just 77 seconds after taking off from Roissy-Charles de Daulle airport.
Stefan Zaklin/Getty Images

Soon after take-off, the Paris control tower can be heard talking to the crew on board: "Concorde zero... 4590, you have flames. You have flames behind you."

To which the Concorde's chief navigator said: "Breakdown eng... Breakdown engine two.

"Cut engine two."

The aircraft then reportedly tried to gain speed in order to perform an emergency landing, and that is when the captain was heard saying his final words.

He said: "Too late... no time."

The co-pilot can then be heard saying: "Le Bourget, Le Bourget. Negative, we are trying Le Bourget [airport to land]."

By this point, the plane was unfortunately unable to accelerate or gain the altitude needed in order to reach Le Bourget in time.

Exactly 16 seconds later, the recording cuts off and this is believed to have been the point of impact of the crash.

The flight killed all 109 people on board as well as four people on the ground.
Ami Vitale/Getty Images

The tragic incident forced the airline to ground all remaining Concorde planes immediately - with British Airways also grounding their airliners.

During the investigation process, French investigators were able to determine that a burst tyre was the cause of the awful event.

"The accident shows that the destruction of a tyre, an event that we cannot say will not recur, had catastrophic consequences in a short period of time, preventing the crew from rectifying the situation." investigators said.

"The crew had no way of knowing about the nature of the fire nor any means of fighting it."

But how did the tyre burst?

Reports found a burst tyre had caused the fire.
Bernard Bisson/Sygma via Getty Images

Apparently, this may be due to a small strip of metal which was lying on the runway. The metal strip was believed to have come from another aircraft.

According to the report, this small 40cm strip of metal is believed to have slashed the Concorde's tyre, sending pieces of rubber into its fuel tanks.

The report further detailed: "Shortly before rotation, the front right tyre of the left undercarriage became damaged and tyre fragments were projected against the fuselage.

"At least one fuel tank was ruptured in one or more places, resulting in a substantial fuel leak.

"The leaking fuel caught light and a very violent fire ensued throughout the duration of the flight."

"The aircraft flew for approximately one minute."

Featured Image Credit: Stefan Zaklin/Ami Vitale/Getty Images

Topics: News