Concorde Affair (1979) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Nicole was killed because she knew critical information about the Concorde crash. She told George that the plane had landed on a reef nearby, which meant it wasn't a normal accident. Her knowledge made her a threat to the conspirators, so they eliminated her to prevent her from revealing what she knew about the sabotage.

Foreshadowing: Earlier, Nicole had called Moses Brody hinting at an important story she wanted to share with him.

• nicole death
• nicole brody
• martique murder
• concorde witness

Milland, a shady businessman, orchestrated the sabotage along with his partner Danker and associate Martinez. They planted explosive charges on the Concorde to destroy evidence of foul play and cover up the crash. Their goal was to have the Concorde flights decommissioned, which would benefit their business interests in aircraft sales.

Foreshadowing: Milland and Danker learn of the crash and immediately begin orchestrating a cover-up to erase any trace of sabotage.

• milland
• danker
• concorde conspiracy
• sabotage mastermind

A crew member sabotaged Flight 128 by introducing acid-laced food into the microwave ovens. When the food melted, it damaged electrical lines throughout the aircraft, causing a cascade of failures including engine power loss and cabin pressure drops. This created a mid-air emergency as the plane descended toward London.

Foreshadowing: Earlier, Milland's men discussed taking down Flight 128 to continue their conspiracy.

• flight 128
• concorde sabotage
• acid sabotage
• microwave bomb

The fishermen were killed because they witnessed the crash and rescued the sole survivor, Jean Beneyton. The corporate henchmen arrived by speedboat and eliminated them to ensure there were no witnesses who could testify about what really happened to the Concorde. This demonstrates the ruthlessness of the conspiracy to suppress any evidence.

Foreshadowing: The timeline shows two fishermen rescue Jean, then are immediately pursued and killed by suited agents who arrived at the crash scene.

• fishermen murder
• witness elimination
• concorde crash witnesses

Jean was being held for a $1 million ransom because she was the sole survivor of the sabotaged Concorde and possessed crucial knowledge about what happened on Flight 820. The conspirators wanted to silence her and prevent her from revealing the truth about the crash, while also extracting money from what appears to be her family or associates.

Foreshadowing: Milland's team watches footage of the submerged Concorde exploding and discovers Jean is alive and being held.

• jean beneyton
• ransom
• concorde survivor
• captivity

After surfacing from the crashed Concorde, Brody was pursued by henchmen in a speedboat. He dove back underwater, evaded the divers by slipping into an underwater cave, then surfaced behind the remaining assailant, overpowered him, and stole the speedboat to escape. This clever maneuvering allowed him to evade capture despite being outnumbered.

Foreshadowing: Earlier, Brody had explored the wreckage and discovered explosive charges planted by Milland's men.

• brody escape
• underwater cave
• speedboat chase
• concorde wreck

The Consul hinted at a scandal involving a Congressman that would have made him keep Brody off the case if he'd known. He suggested that powerful political connections were intertwined with the conspiracy, implying that some U.S. officials were either involved or would have protected those responsible for the sabotage.

Foreshadowing: Brody's persistent investigation and his mention of seeing Jean on a yacht triggered this warning from the Consul.

• congressman scandal
• american consulate
• political cover-up
• martinique consul

George's arm became trapped in machinery inside the submerged Concorde fuselage. Brody had to amputate George's arm with a knife to free him from the wreckage. This heroic sacrifice allowed George to escape, though he was later shot during the pursuit and separated from Brody.

Foreshadowing: The timeline shows they entered the wreckage together, with Brody exploring the fuselage while George helped.

• george injury
• arm amputation
• concorde wreckage rescue

The conspirators wanted the Concorde decommissioned to benefit their business interests in aircraft sales. By orchestrating crashes and making the supersonic flights appear dangerous, they could force the planes out of service, which would open up lucrative opportunities for selling alternative aircraft to airlines.

Foreshadowing: The movie description explicitly mentions the airline's plot to save their business by sabotaging Concorde flights.

• airline business
• concorde decommission
• business conspiracy
• aircraft sales

Brody was attacked by a gang of thugs sent by Milland's conspiracy shortly after arriving in Martinique. This was a warning to drive him away from investigating Nicole's death and the Concorde crash. However, Brody was saved by George, a local fisherman who would become his partner in uncovering the truth.

Foreshadowing: The attack occurred the evening after Brody learned of Nicole's death, showing the conspiracy was actively monitoring newcomers.

• brody attack
• thugs martinique
• conspiracy intimidation

At the end of the film, Brody tells a friend he intends to 'push a certain Humpty Dumpty off his wall,' referring to his plan to expose the powerful corporate heads in New York behind the Concorde conspiracy. It's a metaphor suggesting he will bring down the powerful figures who orchestrated the sabotage and cover-up.

Foreshadowing: This resolve comes after Milland tries to bribe Brody with a shady contract following the rescue of Flight 128.

• humpty dumpty metaphor
• brody expose corporations
• confronting conspiracy

Flight 128 landed safely due to the crew's skilled handling during the emergency descent. Captain Scott and the team fought to maintain control as the plane descended below 12,000 feet with an overheating engine. London Air Traffic Control coordinated the emergency landing, and the crew executed a dramatic but skillful approach, leveling at 9,000 feet before touchdown.

Foreshadowing: The crew exchanged frantic messages as the navigator reported dropping cabin pressure and technical failures cascaded.

• flight 128 emergency landing
• captain scott
• london air traffic control
• safe landing