Air France Flight 4590 (July 25, 2000)

Date: July 25, 2000
Passengers: 100
Crew: 9
Fatalities: 109
Ground fatalities: 4
Total fatalities: 113
Cause: “...the destruction of the tyre caused damage, either directly or indirectly, to the aircraft structure and systems, causing the aircraft to crash less than one minute and thirty seconds after the destruction of the tyre. The damage sequence and the connections between the various events have not yet been fully established. However, the effect of these events was: one or more punctures in at least one fuel tank resulting in a major fuel release; ignition of the released fuel and an intense fire throughout the remainder of the flight. This fire started a few seconds after the destruction of the tyre; a loss of thrust on one, and then two engines.”


Legend:
CAM     Voice transmitted from cockpit area microphone
PA      Voice transmitted from public address system
RDO     Radio transmission from accident aircraft
CO		Dispatcher
CTL		Air traffic control
INT		Interphone
GPWS	Ground Proximity Warning System
FSL		Fire Service Leader
-1      Voice identified as captain
-2      Voice identified as first officer
-3      Voice identified as flight engineer
-?      Voice unidentified
*       Unintelligible word
@       Non-pertinent word
#       Expletive
( )     Questionable insertion
(( ))   Editorial insertion
...     Pause
Times expressed in UTC


---


1542:17.0	CTL		Air France four five nine zero runway twenty-six right wind zero ninety eight knots cleared for takeoff

1542:21.6	RDO-2	Four five nine zero takeoff twenty-six right

1542:23.3	CAM		((sound of selector))

1542:24.8	CAM-1	Is everybody ready

1542:25.8	CAM-2	Yes

1542:26.0	CAM-3	Yes

1542:26.6	CAM-1	To one hundred V-1 one hundred fifty

1542:28.8	CAM-1	*

1542:30.4	CAM		((sound of selector and clicking of thrust levers))

1542:31.0	CAM-1	Top

1542:31.3	CAM		((sound of increase in engine speed and airflow of air conditioning))

1542:35.3	INT-?	go Christian

1542:37.4	INT-?	((sound of two transmission clicks))

1542:43.3	CAM-3	We have four reheats

1542:47.5	CAM		((sound of automatic selector on passing sixty knots))

1542:54.6	CAM-2	One hundred knots

1542:55.1	CAM		((noise))

1542:55.5	CAM-1	Checked

1542:57.0	CAM-3	Four greens

1543:03.7	CAM-2	V-1

1543:10.1	CAM		((noise))

1543:11.0	CAM		((change in background noise for 2.8s))

1543:11.9	CAM		((unintelligible noise))

1543:13.0	CAM-2	Watch out

1543:13.4	CTL		Concorde zero... four five nine zero you have flames * you have flames behind you

1543:16.1	CAM		((sound of selector))

1543:16.4	CAM-3	(stop)

1543:18.8	RDO-2	Roger

1543:20.4	CAM-3	Failure eng...failure engine two

1543:21.3	CAM		((sound of two selectors for TCU movement passing from main to alternate))

1543:22.8	CAM		((sound of fire alarm for 4s))
			INT-?	It's really burning eh

1543:23.5	CAM		((sound of gong))

1543:24.8	CAM-3	Shut down engine two

1543:25.8	CAM-1	Engine fire procedure

1543:26.2	CAM		((sound of selector, either thrust lever reduction or HP shutoff))

1543:27.2	CAM-2	Watch the airspeed the airspeed the airspeed

1543:27.5	CAM		((sound of automatic trim selector))

1543:28.2	CAM		((sound of gong))

1543:28.7	INT-?	It's really burning and I'm not sure it's coming from the engines

1543:29.3	CAM		((sound of fire handle being pulled))

1543:30.0	CAM-1	Gear on retract

1543:31.6	CTL		Four five nine zero you have strong flames behind you

1543:32.0	CAM-3	The gear

1543:32.6	CAM		((sound of toilet smoke detection alarm for 13.7s))

1543:34.5	INT		((reception of a Middle Marker for 18.8s))

1543:34.7	RDO-2	Yes roger

1543:35.5	CAM-3	The gear (Jean)

1543:37.0	CAM		((sound of gong))

1543:37.3	CAM		((noise))
			CTL		So do as you wish you have priority to return to the field

1543:37.7	CAM-3	Gear
			CAM		((noise))

1543:38.4	CAM-2	No

1543:39.0	CAM-1	(Gear) retract

1543:41.2	RDO-2	Roger

1543:42.3	CAM		((sound of fire alarm for 12.5s))

1543:43.0	CAM		((sound of gong))

1543:44.7	CAM		((sound of three selector noises and fire extinguisher fired with first shot))

1543:45.6	CAM-2	(I'm trying)
			CAM-3	I'm firing it

1543:46.3	CAM-1	Are you shutting down engine two there

1543:48.2?	CAM-3	I've shut it down

1543:56.7	CAM-2	The gear isn't retracting

1543:58.6	CAM		((sound of fire alarm, possibly until end of recording?))

1543:59.1	GPWS	Whoop whoop pull up

1543:59.4	CAM		((sound of gong))

1544:00.6	GPWS	Whoop whoop pull up

1544:00.7	CAM-2	The airspeed

1544:02.0	GPWS	Whoop whoop pull up

1544:03.0	FSL		De Gaulle tower from fire service leader

1544:05.2	CTL		Fire service leader err... the Concorde I don't know his intentions get into position near the southern double runway

1544:10.5	CAM		((sound of selector))

1544:12.0	CAM-1	*

1544:13.2	FSL		De Gaulle tower from fire service leader authorisation to enter twenty-six right

1544:14.6	CAM-2	Le Bourget Le Bourget

1544:16.5	CAM-1	(Too late)

1544:18.1	CTL		Fire service leader correction the Concorde is returning on runway zero nine in the opposite direction

1544:19.8	CAM-1	(No time no)

1544:22.8	RDO-2	Negative we're trying for Le Bourget

1544:24.7	CAM		((sound of selector))

1544:25.1	CAM		((sound of selector))

1544:25.4	CAM		((sound of selector))

1544:26.2	CAM		((sound of selector))

1544:26.4	CAM-2	(No)
			FSL		De Gaulle tower from fire service leader can you give me the situation of the Concorde now

1544:26.6	CAM		((sound of gong))

1544:27.0	CAM		((sound of gong and selector))

1544:27.5	CAM		((sound of selector and beginning of movement of objects in cockpit))

1544:29.0	CAM-1	* ((exerted noises))

1544:30.0	CAM-1	*

1544:30.7	CAM-1	*

1544:31.6			((end of recording))