Point is SLFinAZ, this really was not 'just' a case of Concorde running over a piece of FOD. As has been pointed out by many people 'ad nauseam', it was the result of a large combination of totally avoidable factors. (The traumatised L/H undercarriage with vital component missing, an overweight aircraft already starting it's T/O roll over very rough surface etc etc). The titanium strip was just another factor; the tyre was DESTROYED, not a simple blowout. Are the real culprits in the dock? I wonder
It is so easy to state here that 'Concorde was just a disaster waiting to happen', but this is absolute and total rubbish. Witness the fact that after BA modified the Main U/C water deflectors in 1993, there was never another case of a BA aircraft suffering skin damage due to tyre failure. And as has been stated before, BA operated more A/C, an infinitely greater number of services, with a corresponding increase in the flying hours than AF. The airplane operated from the UK like a very well oiled swiss watch, day in, day out it was routine. (Even a single aircraft doing a 'world tour' was a completly routine event).
As I stated in my initial post; Concorde in the hands of true professionals, was an extremely safe and reliable aircraft indeed. This part is purely subjective, but in the opinion of this aviation professional, Concorde was the finest aircraft that was ever built. Don't jump down my throat here guys, this is my opinion only.