The official accident report on the fatal Concorde crash in July 2000 that doomed the big birds was finished two years ago — but wait, now there is another official report. On Tuesday, the findings of an ongoing judicial investigation were made public, and the parties found responsible in this probe could face manslaughter charges. Both reports place the blame for the accident on a piece of metal that fell from a Continental DC-10. Continental CEO Gordon Bethune has been summoned to testify in London early next year. “We’re confident that there’s no basis for criminal action and we will defend any charges in the appropriate courts,” said Continental spokesman Nick Britton. “We strongly disagree that anything Continental did was the cause of the Concorde accident.” Investigators say the part that fell from the Continental DC-10 was originally made of harmless, soft aluminum, but had been improperly replaced with titanium, which is much harder. When the Concorde hit the piece of metal, it blew a tire, leading to the crash that killed 113 people, according to the report.
