Christian Marty

Marty was an extreme athlete and was the first person to windsurf across the Atlantic Ocean, using a specially equipped sailboard.[1] Marty's first attempt was on 28 November 1981. He left Dakar, Senegal, but was unsuccessful.[2] His second attempt was on 12 December 1981 and was successful, arriving in Kourou, French Guiana, on 18 January 1982.[3] Marty traveled 4,222 kilometres (2,623 mi; 2,280 nmi),[2][4] in 37 days 16 hours and four minutes.[1] Marty had previously lived in Guadeloupe for two years,[2] and had previously windsurfed 161 kilometres (100 mi; 87 nmi) from Guadeloupe to Martinique in the Caribbean. In 1980, Marty windsurfed from Nice, France, to Calvi, Corsica, windsurfing 169 kilometres (105 mi; 91 nmi).[5] He later wrote a book documenting his windsurfing experience.[6]

Marty had been an airplane pilot since 12 July 1967.[7] In 1969, he got his commercial pilot's license and started working for Air France. Marty served as a pilot and flight instructor on various aircraft, including the Boeing 727 and 737, as well as the Airbus A300, A320, and A340.[8] He became a Concorde captain on 16 August 1999.[7][9]

On 25 July 2000, Marty served as captain of Air France Flight 4590 from Paris to New York, accompanied by first officer Jean Marcot and flight engineer Gilles Jardinaud. However, during the take-off roll, the aircraft's landing gear struck a metal strip on the runway, which punctured the tire and the fuel tank, causing an in-flight fire.[10]

Media and eyewitnesses viewed Marty as a hero as he flew the aircraft towards a less populated area, in an attempt to prevent people on the ground from being killed. However the aircraft lost control and crashed into a hotel in Gonesse, near Charles de Gaulle Airport, killing all 109 people on board (including Marty and his crew) and four more people on the ground.[11]

• Marty, Christian (3 October 1984). L'atlantique À Mains Nues [The Atlantic with bare hands] (in French). ISBN 2851083058.