U.S. carrier Continental Airlines was found "criminally responsible" for the deadly crash of an Air France Concorde plane and fined 200,000 euros (265,182 U.S. dollars) by a French court on Monday.
The Concorde, carrying mostly German tourists, caught fire during takeoff from Paris's Charles de Gaulle airport on July 25, 2000, and crashed into a nearby hotel killing 113 people on board and in hotel.
Previous investigation found a strip of metal that dropped from a Continental plane took off before the Air France flight, punctured one of the Concorde's tires and the tire debris holed a fuel tank, causing the fire.
Two of Continental Airlines employees: John Taylor, a mechanic and Stanley Ford, an airline chief of maintenance, as well as three French civil aviation officials were accused of shared responsibility in the accident.
The verdict only handed out a 15-month suspended confinement for 42-year-old Taylor, and dropped charges against the others, including Henri Perrier, an 81-year-old former Concorde director who headed the plane's testing program.
Prosecutors originally filed for a two-year suspended prison term for Henri Perrier, and a 18-month confinement for both U.S. employees.
The monetary compensation seeking from Continental Airlines was 175,000 euros (220,000 U.S. dollars), lower than the amount in the French court's verdict.
The trial started in February and lasted four months before jury gave final ruling on Monday.
Air France, which reportedly had paid most victims' families compensation, is not facing any charges.
Concorde flights were grounded for over a year after the crash and returned to service with reinforced fuel tanks in late 2001. Air France and British Airways retired all Concorde fleets in 2003.
The Concorde, carrying mostly German tourists, caught fire during takeoff from Paris's Charles de Gaulle airport on July 25, 2000, and crashed into a nearby hotel killing 113 people on board and in hotel.
Previous investigation found a strip of metal that dropped from a Continental plane took off before the Air France flight, punctured one of the Concorde's tires and the tire debris holed a fuel tank, causing the fire.
Two of Continental Airlines employees: John Taylor, a mechanic and Stanley Ford, an airline chief of maintenance, as well as three French civil aviation officials were accused of shared responsibility in the accident.
The verdict only handed out a 15-month suspended confinement for 42-year-old Taylor, and dropped charges against the others, including Henri Perrier, an 81-year-old former Concorde director who headed the plane's testing program.
Prosecutors originally filed for a two-year suspended prison term for Henri Perrier, and a 18-month confinement for both U.S. employees.
The monetary compensation seeking from Continental Airlines was 175,000 euros (220,000 U.S. dollars), lower than the amount in the French court's verdict.
The trial started in February and lasted four months before jury gave final ruling on Monday.
Air France, which reportedly had paid most victims' families compensation, is not facing any charges.
Concorde flights were grounded for over a year after the crash and returned to service with reinforced fuel tanks in late 2001. Air France and British Airways retired all Concorde fleets in 2003.
