2000: Concorde crash kills 113

Concorde has crashed just minutes after take-off, killing all 109 people on board and four people on the ground.

The Air France jet, bound for New York, crashed into a Relais Bleu hotel in the town of Gonesse, 10 miles north of Paris just before 1700 local time (1500 GMT).

It is understood the aircraft, which had taken off from Roissy Charles de Gaulle airport just two minutes earlier, plummeted to the ground after one of the left-hand engines caught fire on take-off.

There were 100 passengers on board, most were German tourists but also included two Danes, an Austrian and an American, all travelling to JFK airport in New York where they were due to join a cruise ship bound for Equador.

Huge fireball

The aircraft had been chartered by German tour operator Deillman.

Eye-witnesses reported seeing a "huge fireball" followed by a dense cloud of black smoke after the plane hit the ground.

Within minutes of the crash emergency services were on the scene searching through the rubble for survivors.

French prime minister, Lionel Jospin, has flown directly to the scene and the German transport minister is on his way.

Flight AF4590 is the first Concorde in the aircraft's 31-year history to crash.

This particular aircraft, one of a fleet of six owned by Air France, which has been in service since 1980 was inspected four days ago and threw up no problems.

The accident comes just a day after BA revealed that hairline cracks had been found in the wings of all seven of its Concordes.

All Air France Concordes have been suspended and an investigation into the accident has been launched. Investigators are on the scene trying to locate the aircraft's black box.

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