In 1973, it became the first supersonic passenger transport to crash into a town during an airshow.

Went down a minor rabbit hole and Claude gave me this interesting tidbit:

The Tu-144 had several significant design and engineering problems that contributed to its troubled history:

Aerodynamic Compromises

The Tu-144 was rushed into development partly to beat Concorde, and this showed in its design. The aircraft required retractable canard wings near the nose just to maintain stability at low speeds during takeoff and landing—a workaround that added weight and complexity. Its delta wing design was less refined than Concorde's, resulting in higher drag and worse fuel efficiency.

Engine Problems

The Kuznetsov NK-144 engines were underpowered and inefficient compared to Concorde's Olympus engines. They couldn't sustain supersonic cruise without afterburners, which consumed enormous amounts of fuel and drastically limited range. The engines were also unreliable and ran hot, creating maintenance nightmares.

Structural and Systems Issues

The airframe experienced fatigue problems, the hydraulic systems were prone to failures, and the flight control systems lacked the redundancy of Western designs. Cabin noise levels were so extreme that passengers reportedly couldn't hold conversations.

The 1973 Paris Crash

The crash at the Paris Air Show killed all six crew and eight people on the ground. The exact cause remains somewhat disputed, but the investigation pointed to the crew making an abrupt evasive maneuver (possibly to avoid a French Mirage jet that was filming nearby without their knowledge), followed by an overly aggressive recovery that overstressed the airframe. A canard retraction issue or engine failure may have also played a role. The aircraft broke apart in flight.

The Tu-144 was ultimately retired from passenger service after just 55 scheduled flights—a testament to how many compromises were made to achieve a political goal.