An initial report by air accident investigators says the crew of the crashed French Concorde had trouble with two of its four engines during take-off. The pilot warned the control tower that engine number two had broken down, and that the adjacent engine number one had also lost power twice. A statement from the Accident Investigation Bureau in Paris said the pilot also alerted the control tower to the fact that he was unable to retract the undercarriage, which was worsening any stability problems triggered by engine failure. Investigators say a preliminary report on the causes of the accident will be published at the end of August, once all data has been analysed, and all circumstances taken into account.
More than 1,500 people took part in a multi-faith service this evening, in the historic Madeleine church in central Paris, in remembrance of the 113 victims of the Concorde crash. Family members who travelled from Germany were joined by Air France workers and French and German government Ministers for the hour-long memorial. Air France said it would pay or reimburse the funeral costs for all passengers killed in the crash, and for the victims on the ground.
Air accident investigators are reported to have finished analysing the second black box from the wreckage of the airliner. Speculation continues to centre on the engine which failed, despite being examined before the Air France aircraft took off from Roissy-Charles de Gaulle airport. Thirty minutes of repair work was needed on the left-hand side, number two engine because of a reverse thruster problem.
Meanwhile, Germany is mourning, with flags flying at half-mast as a mark of respect for the 96 German victims on the Concorde.
