A French magistrate yesterday disclosed details of the takeoff conversation between the Concorde pilot and the airport control tower.
Ms Elisabeth Senot, first deputy prosecutor leading the inquest into the 113 deaths, said: "The control tower gave permission for take-off at time zero. At 56 seconds, the control tower signalled to the plane that it was on fire at the rear.
"The captain replied, `Fault in engine number two'. After that it seems the flames became extremely large because fire was once again signalled by the control tower, and the crew replied that they were no longer in a position to stop.
"So it took off, and the captain, I imagine, or the co-pilot, indicated that they were directing the plane to Le Bourget [airport], in other words that it would do a half-turn, rather than turn all the way round to the runway [at Charles de Gaulle airport].
"It was during this turning manoeuvre that it crashed on the hotel."