Concorde crash investigators find tire debris

PARIS (July 28)—French investigators discovered tire debris along the runway where the Air France Concorde crashed outside Paris July 25, according to the French government´s Bureau of Accident Investigations. That finding spawned reports in the news media that a tire or tire/wheel failure on takeoff might have contributed to engine failure that led to the crash, although French officials have not made that connection. A "New York Times" story said the Concorde had a history of "small problems with its wheels and tires," and on three occasions the plane´s engines might have been damaged by debris from its own tires.