NTSB Advisory
National Transportation Safety Board
Washington, DC 20594
July 25, 2000

STATEMENT OF NTSB CHAIRMAN JIM HALL ON THE CRASH OF CONCORDE AIRCRAFT TODAY NEAR PARIS

National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Jim Hall today issued the following statement about the crash of an Air France Concorde near Paris, shortly after takeoff for a flight to New York:

I first wish to express my condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in the crash of Air France flight 4590 near Paris today.

Because the Concorde regularly serves the United States, at the invitation of the Bureau Enquetes - Accidents, our counterpart agency in France, we are sending a Safety Board investigator to serve as an observer to the French investigation. We will, of course, provide any assistance the French authorities might request during the course of their investigation.

Our Family Affairs staff has been in touch with officials at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the Emergency Management Offices of both the State of New York and the City of New York, the Disaster Operations Center of the American Red Cross, and the U.S. Department of State. It appears at this time that no U.S. citizens were on board Air France flight 4590 today.

NTSB Press Officer: Ted Lopatkiewicz (202) 314-6100

NOTE TO NEWS MEDIA: The Safety Board's web site has two incidents involving Concorde aircraft. On October 8, 1998, a British Airways Concorde experienced a partial separation of the lower rudder while in cruise flight over the North Atlantic. On August 26, 1999, two Concordes passed within 800 feet vertically and 0.7 mile horizontally of each other near John F. Kennedy Airport in New York. There were no injuries in either incident. Safety Board records have only one recommendation dealing with the Concorde, a 1981 recommendation to French authorities dealing with procedures to follow if a tire blows out on takeoff. Because procedures were implemented, that recommendation was closed.