PARIS (Reuters) - A French public prosecutor has asked judges to bring manslaughter charges against U.S. carrier Continental Airlines over the 2000 crash of a Concorde that killed 113 people, the prosecutor's office said on Tuesday.
The prosecutor recommended similar charges be brought against a French engineer involved in the development of the now grounded supersonic jet, the former head of France's civil aviation authority and two Continental Airlines staff.
A judicial investigation concluded after the July 2000 crash that a piece of metal left on the runway from a Continental flight caused one of the Air France Concorde's tyres to burst on takeoff and send debris into an engine.
A judge is expected to decide in coming weeks whether to accept the request filed by the Pontoise prosecutor's office, situated outside Paris.
The prosecutor recommended similar charges be brought against a French engineer involved in the development of the now grounded supersonic jet, the former head of France's civil aviation authority and two Continental Airlines staff.
A judicial investigation concluded after the July 2000 crash that a piece of metal left on the runway from a Continental flight caused one of the Air France Concorde's tyres to burst on takeoff and send debris into an engine.
A judge is expected to decide in coming weeks whether to accept the request filed by the Pontoise prosecutor's office, situated outside Paris.
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