Not the first shot at all. The crash investigators have completed their report, there will be no further investigations. This trial was to determine criminal responsibility.

Facts are as follows:

Continental employee used a strip of titanium metal to effect a repair on one of Continental's aircraft. Both the employee and Continental knew full well that he should not have done that.

Crash investigators determined that this strip of titanium came adrift and fell onto the runway as the Continental jet took-off.

Crash investigators determined that the strip of metal punctured the tyre on the Air France Concorde causing the tyre to disintegrate and it threw tyre debris and the strip of titanium up into the wheel well where it punctured the fuel tank causing kerosene to flood out of the tank where it was ignited by the jet exhaust of the aircraft.

The Crash investigators have reviewed all the physical evidence from the crash site and from the runway. They have reviewed all witness statements and viewed all recorded images covering the short flight of that Air France aircraft.

The only thing now that remains are the legal battles where Continental Airlines, or more correctly their insurers if their cover still holds good considering the botched repair, attempts to reduce their liability. As stated previously there will be no President chipping in grandstanding on this one, to ensure that those who lost loved ones will recieve the full compensation due.