One or two tyres burst on the Air France Concorde that crashed after take-off and the fire seen on the jet appeared to have started outside the engines, investigators said Friday.
The French Bureau of Accident Investigations (BEA) said in a statement that its finding about the tyres was based on the analysis of tyre debris found on the runway at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport.
"The majority of the debris identified comes from the left-hand side of the aircraft," the BEA said.
The agency added that its theory about the cause of the fire still had to be confirmed.
A total of 113 people died in Tuesday's crash of the Concorde, which was en route from Paris to New York.
Police said the most "sensitive" parts of the wreckage of the doomed Concorde were being stored in a French Air Force hangar north of Paris.
The parts include landing gear, wing-cover and the instrument panel, which are highly vulnerable to extreme weather conditions due to electronic and other components.
Investigators are planning to piece the parts together with the help of engineers from the French half of the Anglo-French Concorde consortium, Aerospatiale.
More than 150 officers were continuing to comb the area around Charles de Gaulle airport where the Concorde crashed on Tuesday for parts, which are labelled and taken to Dugny Air Force base at Le Bourget airport, close to Gonesse.
"Every square centimeter, every shred of metal, however small, must be put in place and classified while samples of earth and vegetation are also being analysed to help the enquiry," said an officer, who asked not to be identified.
The salvage operation is expected to last several more days, and several roads are the crash scene are still closed -- GONESSE, France (AFP)
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