Tick-tock of a Supersonic Tragedy | The Sad Story of Flight 4590

On July 25th, 2000, spectators at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris witnessed a horrifying scene as a Concorde jet burst into flames upon takeoff. With two engines failing and engulfed in fire, the pilots struggled to keep the aircraft airborne, racing desperately against time just above the ground. Tragically, their efforts were in vain. Less than a minute after departure, Air France flight 4590 stalled, spun out of control, and crashed into a hotel in Gonesse, a suburb of Paris, claiming the lives of all 109 passengers on board and four individuals on the ground.



The sudden and catastrophic loss of the Concorde sent shockwaves around the world. This iconic supersonic airliner, which had operated accident-free for 24 years, had captivated millions with its sleek design and unprecedented Mach 2 speed. The notion that such a technologically advanced aircraft could succumb to disaster moments after takeoff seemed inconceivable. Yet, investigations would reveal a series of errors leading up to the tragedy, from events weeks prior aboard a Continental Airlines DC-10, to last-minute miscalculations of the Concorde's weight, to the split-second decisions made by the crew during the ill-fated departure—a mere 46 seconds that forever altered the course of aviation history.