However this crash development program produced a flawed craft and it did not fly again until 1973 following a major redesign. This time the craft debuted at the Paris Air Show on June 3, 1973. While in the air it undertook a violent turn to avoid a French Mirage? fighter plane, broke up, and crashed, killing the six on board and eight on the ground.
The Tu-144 did not fly again outside of Russia. In 1977, a Tu-144 flew from Moscow to Alma-Ata?, it's first passenger flight. But due to mechanical problems it was unable to maintain the one flight per week schedule.
Seventeen Tu-144's were manufactured in total.