The interim report from the BEA makes a number of corrections to the initial publication. Firstly and perhaps most significantly, there was a 7kt tailwind for the take-off roll. With the aircraft at, at the very least, at maximum structural weight (185072kg I think), the aircraft would have been 7 tons over maximum weight and the take-off should never have been attempted.
The lack of the spacer in the left-hand undercarriage leg meant that the truck would have been creating an asymmetric pull on the aircraft, inexorably to the left. This would probably explain the ingestion of the edge light, and in my opinion is probably where the tyre found the notorious strip of metal.
The Captain rotated the aircraft well below Vzrc for three engines and when the engineer decided that number two should be shut down, the aircraft was irrecoverable. A delta wing aircraft like the Concorde can be flown at any speed, so long as you have the thrust to go with it. The slower the speed, the greater the drag, and the usual standard procedure is to rotate as close to tyre limit speed as possible so as to reduce the drag once airborne. In this case, with two engines out, it is staggering that the aircraft reached 200ft at all. What is certain is that the speed he traded for height meant he ran out of control and could not prevent the final roll and descent before impact.
The accident was entirely preventable in my opinion. Firstly by rigorous engineering practices ensuring that the undercarriage was correctly maintained. Secondly the slap-dash loading which allowed the aircraft to be so heavy. Thirdly the refuelling procedures that allowed no expansion gaps in the wing tanks, leading to the hydraulic rupture process of the skin. Fourthly, the Captain at any stage right up to the beginning of the take off could have decided not to go.
I hear that the Captain was something of a folk hero in AF. I also hear, though I cannot substantiate, that the first officer was very unhappy with the aircraft weight and the performance calculations, but was unable to impose his concerns on the other flight crew.
A very sad, very tragic event. I am concerned that all of the facts surrounding this event should be made public so that all of the lessons can be learned. I fear however that the politics which surround it will produce the classic rafistolage Français