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Old 28th Oct 2000, 08:47
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Blacksheep
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I don't recalll us ever having a problem with structural damage caused by tyre bursts on the Vulcans which were very similar in planform to the Concorde. The wheels were quite different though, perhaps if the trucks and wheels had been designed differently, debris thrown up from the wheels could have caused damage.

At the end of the day, a punctured fuel tank caused by a tyre burst is a design defect. Nothing to do with the mechanics or the pilots. Also, in the case of Concorde there were earlier non-disastrous events of tyre debris causing structural damage, including at least one case where a fuel tank was ruptured but no fire ensued because the pilot was aware and shut down the engines. So where were the Government Regulatory Bodies and their Airworthiness Directives then? The silence continues, will we ever know the truth or will Concorde be permanently grounded and the whole thing conveniently forgotten?

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