You are quite right about the tyre debris.......To cause tank rupture it probably had to hit the tank within quite a small range of angles......a more glancing blow would not have had the energy to cause major damage. It could have flown off the tyre at any angle, yet it happened to impact the wing square on and rupture it.
If you tried to replicate it in a lab, you'd probably have to do it a couple of dozen times before you got a piece to hit the wing and cause damage. Of course these type of freak happenings are often the root of many disasters.
Originally Posted by
Buster15
All this discussion about the crash must not detract from the stunningly brilliant technical achievement that was Concorde.
Absolutely.....in my view, one of the best aircraft mankind has ever made. I still can't quite believe one crashed.