Incident to the Concorde registered F-BVFC operated by Air France on 14/06/79 at Washington-Dulles AD (USA)

The translation  below is for information only:

During the take-off roll at Washington, two tyres on the aircraft's left main undercarriage failed at some point after V1. The take-off was completed and the aircraft returned to Dulles international airport where it landed safely 24min later. 

The subsequent investigation determined that the no. 6 tyre had become deflated sometime prior to the aircraft starting its take-off run and had been destroyed by running while flat. The no. 5 tyre had then failed due to running under overload. The cause of the deflation of the no. 6 tyre could not be determined. Debris from the tyres and wheel rims apparently caused some 20 small holes in the adjacent wing and fuselage. According to press reports, the largest hole, located in a non-stress panel on top of the wing over the wheelwell, measured 30x48in. Debris also damaged hydraulic lines and punctured the left wing fuel tank, resulting in a significant fuel leak.

(Technical update January 2025)