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THE British survivor of a
Concorde crash in Paris says
she is still traumatised by her
ordeal 10 years later.
Alice Brooking was trapped in a burn-
ing hotel in Gonesse, north of Paris, when
the plane crashed into it and exploded on
impact.
TheAir France Concorde had burst into
flames as it took off at Charles de Gaulle
airport on July 25, 2000, and plummeted
into the hotel, killing 109 passengers and
four people on the ground.
Miss Brooking, now 31, from Seven-
oaks, leapt out of the window of her
room to escape the blaze and fled into a
nearby field.
Speaking this week as a manslaughter
trial started in Paris, she said she is
still struggling to come to terms with
the tragedy.
Fear
Miss Brooking, who was 21 at the time
and grew up in Hildenborough, near
Tonbridge, said: "Whenever an aircraft
passes overhead I shudder and look
towards the sky.
"At first I couldn't sleep and had night-
mares. When something like this hap-
pens to you it makes you realise how
fragile life is. How it can be here one day
and gone the next.
"It made me realise who the most
important people in the world are to me.
I don't want to travel, I am sticking to
my roots."
She added: "When I drive through
France and see signs for Gonesse it
always sends a shiver down my spine.
"I still get flashbacks � I hear the enor-
mous bang and I can still smell the terri-
ble burning stench that filled the air.
"You block it out. You battle on. But it's
always there."
US airline Continental and five
individuals went on trial for manslaugh-
ter in Pontoise,a few miles from the scene
of the crash in the Paris suburbs,
on Monday.
An official French inquiry has already
blamed the airline for causing the 113
deaths, concluding that a titanium strip
fell off one of its DC-10s, which then
punctured the Concorde's tyre as it took
off, causing it to burst into flames.
But at the start of the trial, which is
expected to last for four months, the
lawyer representing Continental ques-
tioned this version of events, claiming the
plane had caught fire before hitting the
titanium strip.
He blamed poor maintenance carried
out by Air France and alleged the
Concorde should not have been allowed
to take off.
Concorde had had problems with its
wheels since 1980 and the crash led to
both British Airways and Air France
grounding their fleet for a year, before
withdrawing the supersonic service for
good in 2003.
Most victims of the crash were
Germans heading to the US to board a
Caribbean cruise ship. Their families
have already received compensation from
Air France, Continental and the
Goodyear tyre manufacturer in return for
not taking legal action.
About �620 million has been divided
between around 700 people.
In the dock this week were two former
Continental employees and three former
French officials, who all face up to five
years in prison and a fine of up to
�70,000.Any prison sentences are expect-
ed to be suspended.
The US airline is facing a fine of up to
�370,000 if found guilty.
The case continues.
French court hears
of lasting crash
nightmare
PARIS CRASH:
The Concorde
caught fire as
it took off from
the runway
By JON COATES
jon.coates@kosmedia.co.uk
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