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Thursday, Nov 29, 2012 2:30 PM UTC

French court overturns Concorde crash conviction

Continenal Airlines' manslaughter conviction was overturned VIDEO

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Topics: Concorde, aol_on, aviation, Video, From the Wires, France, Airlines, ,

French court overturns Concorde crash convictionFILE - In this July 25, 2000, file photo, a firefighter sprays water on the debris of an Air France Concorde plane after it crashed into a hotel shortly after takeoff in Gonesse, France, outside of Paris. A French appeals court is expected to decide on Thursday, Nov. 29, 2012, whether to uphold a manslaughter conviction against Continental Airlines for the crash over a decade ago of an Air France Concorde that killed 113 people. Continental Airlines, Inc. and one of its mechanics were convicted in 2010.(AP Photo/Ministry of Interior/Civil Security, Joachim Bertrand, Pool, File) (Credit: AP)

VERSAILLES, France (AP) — A French appeals court overturns a manslaughter conviction against Continental Airlines for the July 2000 crash of an Air France Concorde that killed 113 people.

The crash led to the Concorde program, a synonym for luxury but a commercial failure despite its advanced technology, to be taken out of service in 2003. Air France and British Airways had jointly operated the program.

Thursday’s ruling follows a 2010 case where a French court had convicted Continental Airlines Inc. and one of its mechanics for the crash and imposed about €2 million ($2.7 million) in damages and fines on the carrier.

In the 2000 accident, the jet slammed into a hotel near Paris’ Charles de Gaulle airport soon after taking off, killing all 109 people aboard and four on the ground.

More Associated Press.

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