Less than 1 1/2 minutes after the tyre burst, the Concorde flipped over, fell to earth and exploded, investigators said yesterday.
The undercarriage, designed not to retract after a tyre bursts, remained deployed. The crew commanded the remaining three engines to deliver emergency thrust. The fire spread through the left wing, perhaps disabling electrical and hydraulic systems.
The aluminium structure of the aircraft lost strength as the fire heated the metal. The aircraft began to break up.
With the Concorde still staggering along at low speed and low altitude, already difficult to control, the number one engine failed.
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Maybe because the aircraft was badly unbalanced or fire had incapacitated the surfaces, the pilot lost control.