"Paris Airport Collapse Probe Blames Roof"

Tuesday, July 6, 2004

Paris Airport Collapse Probe Blames Roof
The Associated Press


PARIS - The Paris airport collapse that killed four people in May might
have been caused by a weakness in the concrete that formed the
futuristic terminal's vaulted roof, an official report said Tuesday.

Jean Berthier, president of the inquiry commission studying the May 23
collapse at Charles de Gaulle airport, offered one hypothesis for the
concrete's weakness: It may have been broken down by temperature
differences.

"The commission cannot say anything for certain without being able to
enter into the wreckage," Berthier said, noting that his team was still
barred from the site for security reasons and was working off photos.

The inquiry commission is also using computer modeling techniques to
establish what caused the roof to crash down in the terminal designed by
architect Paul Andreu, who is working on an opera house in Beijing.

In the disaster at terminal 2E, falling glass, steel and masonry killed
four travelers _ two Chinese, one Czech and one Lebanese. Three others
were injured.

The terminal, which opened to great fanfare on June 25, 2003, was a key
element in the development strategy of the airport's operator, Aeroports
de Paris, and its main customer, Air France.

During the collapse, metal struts pierced the concrete roof, the report
said. The struts held apart the concrete roof and the glass that
enveloped it.

But experts also have yet to determine why the struts broke through and
why the accident happened when it did. Berthier said the concrete was
likely already weak when the struts pushed against it.

"We are able to describe the circumstances of what occurred during the
collapse," he said. "But we now need to go further into exactly how it
took place."

Berthier said experts plan to analyze samples of the concrete debris.
One suggestion is that temperature differences between the inside and
the outside of the structure caused the shape of the building to change
slightly, especially during the hot summer months when the inside was
air-conditioned.

These variations could have caused cracks in the concrete, he said.

The Transport Ministry, citing the findings, brushed aside speculation
the accident was caused by ground movement or problems that appeared
during construction.

Pylons holding up the section of the three-building terminal that
collapsed had to be reinforced after cracks appeared _ among the snags
that delayed the terminal's opening.

No date has been set for a final report on the disaster, which will
determine whether the $920 million building will be repaired or torn
down.

A judicial investigation into the accident also is proceeding.


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