A public prosecutor in France is calling for Continental Airlines to face manslaughter charges over the 2000 crash of an Air France Concorde that killed 113 people, Reuters reports. The supersonic jet crashed minutes after takeoff when a burst tire sent debris into an engine. A French investigation found that the tire was shredded by a piece of metal left on the runway by a Continental aircraft.
The crash killed everyone on the New York-bound jet, as well as four people on the ground. The prosecutor also recommended charges against a French engineer involved in the Concorde's development, the former head of France's civil aviation authority, and two Continental Airlines workers. A judge is expected to decide within weeks if charges will be brought. (More Concorde stories.)