The Last Flight of Concorde: The Accident that Shocked the World

On July 25, 2000, one of the icons of world aviation, the Concorde, was involved in one of the most shocking accidents in history. Air France Flight 4590, which was departing from Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, bound for New York, crashed a few minutes after take-off, resulting in the deaths of all 109 people on board and four more on the ground.

The accident was caused by a piece of metal falling from a plane that had taken off earlier. The object punctured one of the Concorde's tires, causing rubber fragments to hit the fuel tank, resulting in an uncontrollable fire. With the flames spreading rapidly and the aircraft losing lift, the pilots tried to return to the airport, but the aircraft crashed into a hotel in the town of Gonesse, on the outskirts of Paris.

The disaster marked the beginning of the end for the Concorde era, an aircraft known for its supersonic speed and unparalleled luxury. Following the accident, the fleet was temporarily suspended and, even after safety improvements, the Concorde was permanently retired in 2003.

Air France Flight 4590 remains one of the most remembered events in aviation, a symbol of the fragility of technology in the face of small incidents that can have catastrophic consequences.