4-month trial into 2000 Concorde crash wraps up

PARIS (AP) - A French court is wrapping up a 4-month-long trial into what caused the crash of a Concorde supersonic jet a decade ago.

Continental Airlines Inc. and two of its employees are accused of manslaughter. All 109 people aboard and four people on the ground were killed in the June 2000 crash near Paris' Charles de Gaulle Airport.

Investigators say a Continental jet dropped a metal strip onto the runway before the Air France Concorde took off. They say the runway debris gashed the plane's tire, sending pieces of rubber into the fuel tanks and sparking a fire.

Continental denies any responsibility.

A verdict is expected later this year.

The Concorde program, which hosted legions of rich and famous passengers, was taken out of service in 2003.