The Tupolev Tu-144 flew the first of the two in December 1968, three months before the aircraft developed by Aérospatiale/BAC, and in 1969 the Soviet variant reached supersonic speed, four months before the Concorde model.
50 years ago on June 3, 1973, a Tupolev Tu-144 supersonic aircraft crashed at the Paris Air Show, killing the crew and eight others on the ground. Photo source Profimedia Images
50 years ago on June 3, 1973, a Tupolev Tu-144 supersonic aircraft crashed at the Paris Air Show, killing the crew and eight others on the ground. Photo source Profimedia Images50 years ago on June 3, 1973, a Tupolev Tu-144 supersonic aircraft crashed at the Paris Air Show, killing the crew and eight others on the ground. Photo source Profimedia Images50 years ago on June 3, 1973, a Tupolev Tu-144 supersonic aircraft crashed at the Paris Air Show, killing the crew and eight others on the ground. Photo source Profimedia Images50 years ago on June 3, 1973, a Tupolev Tu-144 supersonic aircraft crashed at the Paris Air Show, killing the crew and eight others on the ground. Photo source Profimedia Images50 years ago on June 3, 1973, a Tupolev Tu-144 supersonic aircraft crashed at the Paris Air Show, killing the crew and eight others on the ground. Photo source Profimedia Images50 years ago on June 3, 1973, a Tupolev Tu-144 supersonic aircraft crashed at the Paris Air Show, killing the crew and eight others on the ground. Photo source Profimedia Images50 years ago on June 3, 1973, a Tupolev Tu-144 supersonic aircraft crashed at the Paris Air Show, killing the crew and eight others on the ground. Photo source Profimedia Images50 years since the crash of the Tupolev supersonic plane in Paris. The USSR-built adversary to the Concorde was short-lived. Photo source Profimedia Images50 years since the crash of the Tupolev supersonic plane in Paris. The USSR-built adversary to the Concorde was short-lived. Photo source Profimedia Images50 years since the crash of the Tupolev supersonic plane in Paris. The USSR-built adversary to the Concorde was short-lived. Photo source Profimedia Images50 years since the crash of the Tupolev supersonic plane in Paris. The USSR-built adversary to the Concorde was short-lived. Photo source Profimedia Images50 years since the crash of the Tupolev supersonic plane in Paris. The USSR-built adversary to the Concorde was short-lived. Photo source Profimedia Images50 years since the crash of the Tupolev supersonic plane in Paris. The USSR-built adversary to the Concorde was short-lived. Photo source Profimedia Images50 years since the crash of the Tupolev supersonic plane in Paris. The USSR-built adversary to the Concorde was short-lived. Photo source Profimedia Images50 years since the crash of the Tupolev supersonic plane in Paris. The USSR-built adversary to the Concorde was short-lived. Photo source Profimedia Images,
At the same time, in 1970, it became the first commercial plane to reach Mach 2 (2469 km/h). However, the Tupolev model had not yet entered service and in 1973 was still being tested.
The second Tupolev Tu-144 production aircraft, model 77102, was present at the Paris Air Show.
The European supersonic variant, the Concorde, was not yet in production in 1973, but made a demonstration flight in Paris.
The Tupolev Tu-144 aircraft took off and at one point appeared to be about to land, with its landing gear extended and approaching the runway at Le Bourget Airport in Paris. Suddenly he revved the engines to full power and rose rapidly. At about 2,000 feet, it slowed, flipped over, and went into the air. While trying to get the aircraft out of the stall by revving the engines to full, the aircraft disintegrated in mid-air, probably due to the heavy loads applied to the fuselage, and crashed, destroying 15 houses and killing the six-man crew and eight others on the ground . Another 60 people were injured.
The plane crash reduced enthusiasm for the Tupolev Tu-144. The causes of the accident were not clarified.
Later, the Tupolev Tu-144 entered service in 1977, but was withdrawn from passenger flights in 1978 after another incident. It was also used as a cargo plane until 1983, then by the Soviet Union for the training of Buran spacecraft pilots and by NASA for research. In 1999, the Tupolev Tu-144 made its last flight. In total, 16 aircraft were manufactured.
The Concorde model was used by British Airways and Air France for almost 30 years and was withdrawn from service in 2003 due to lack of demand for tickets after the crash of Flight 4590, high costs and the crisis in the aviation market after the 9/11 attacks September 2001.
The crash of Flight 4590 in France, shortly after takeoff, was the only aviation accident during the 27 years of operation of Concorde aircraft.
