A French trial resulting from the July 2000 crash of an Air France Concorde aircraft came to an end on Friday with a verdict expected in December. Nearly a decade after the Concorde supersonic plane crashed outside Paris, killing 113 people, U.S.-based Continental Airlines and five people are on trial on manslaughter charges. The trial examined two very different explanations for the airline's crash. The Concorde crash on July 25, 2000, shook the aviation world and dealt a blow to an aircraft that was the pride of Europe. With smoke and flames trailing from its engines, the New York-bound plane went down just two minutes after takeoff, crashing into a hotel near Charles de Gaulle airport outside Paris. All 109 people on board and four hotel workers were killed. Three years later, the Concorde was taken out of service for good. French investigators and justice officials claim that as the Concorde was taking off, it ran over a thin strip of metal that had fallen off a Continental plane that took off just minutes before. According to the hypothesis, the metal caused a tire to explode and some of the debris flew into the engine and fuel tank, causing a fire. Continental disputes this version of events. Continental's lawyer, Olivier Metzner, said the fire erupted eight seconds before the plane ran over the metal strip. He presented witnesses to back this up. Continental claims the Concorde had serious design defects and questioned the plane's safety and maintenance record. The French prosecution sought a $225,000 fine against Continental and suspended sentences of 18 months for two of Continental's mechanics. The French prosecutors also sought a two-year suspended sentence for the former head of the Concorde program, Henri Perrier, who is now 80 years old. He knew of the plane's weaknesses, prosecutors have said. Another top-level manager at Aerospatiale, the Concorde's French manufacturer, and a former official with the French Civil Aviation Authority were also charged. -- 28 May 2010