Flight | Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives

The single engine airplane departed Salon-de-Provence Airbase on a training mission over the Alps with a pilot and five skydivers on board. While cruising at an altitude of 1,300 meters, the airplane went out of control, dove into the ground and crashed in flames near Moissière Pass. The aircraft was destroyed and all six occupants were killed.
Crew:
Cpt Jean Salette.
Passengers:
S/Sgt Jean Bousquet,
Cpt Yves Charpentier,
Cpt Bernard Pergeline,
Cpt Bernard Billiet,
Cpt Max Bonnaud.

Crash of an Antonov AN-2 near Burgas: 1 killed

Date & Time: Sep 19, 1968

Type of aircraft:

Antonov AN-2

Operator:

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Spraying (Agricultural)

Survivors:

Site:

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

Crashed in unknown circumstances. The pilot, sole on board, was killed.

Crash of a Sud-Aviation SE-210 Caravelle III off Antibes: 95 killed

Date & Time: Sep 11, 1968 at 1034 LT

Type of aircraft:

Sud-Aviation SE-210 Caravelle

Operator:

Registration:

F-BOHB

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Scheduled Revenue Flight

Survivors:

Site:

Lake, Sea, Ocean, River

Schedule:

Ajaccio - Nice

MSN:

244

YOM:

1968

Flight number:

AF1611

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Captain / Total flying hours:

8836

Captain / Total hours on type:

2054.00

Copilot / Total flying hours:

4293

Copilot / Total hours on type:

676

Aircraft flight hours:

1001

Aircraft flight cycles:

579

Circumstances:

Following an uneventful flight from Ajaccio, the crew started the descent to Nice-Côte d'Azur Airport when the pilot sent a brief mayday message, saying 'fire on board, request urgent landing'. Few second later, the airplane went into a dive and crashed into the Mediterranean Sea some 40 km off Antibes. Few debris were found on water surface and none of the 95 occupants survived the crash.

Probable cause:

The exact cause of the accident could not be determined with certainty. At the beginning of the investigations, the board of inquiry reported that the following assumptions were not ruled out: pilot error, fire in the cockpit, aircraft shot down by a surface-to-air missile or the rupture of the hydraulic reservoir. Nevertheless, the aircraft totally disintegrated upon impact with the water surface as it was extremely violent, at a considerable speed and with a high rate of descent. It is believed the loss of control was the consequence of a fire that erupted in the rear part of the cabin, by the right lavatory and galley. Maybe the pilot became incapacitated by fumes but this was not confirmed. About 50 years after the accident, the French government may release some classified documents regarding this tragedy, reinforcing the assumption that the aircraft may have been shut down by a surface-to-air missile fired by the French Navy which was completing local exercises in the area at that time. In 2018, the real cause of this accident remains unclear.

Final Report:

Crash of a De Havilland DHC-3 Otter in Bradore Bay: 9 killed

Date & Time: Sep 6, 1968

Type of aircraft:

De Havilland DHC-3 Otter

Operator:

Registration:

CF-RNP

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Scheduled Revenue Flight

Survivors:

Site:

Plain, Valley

Schedule:

Lourdes-de-Blanc-Sablon – Sainte-Augustine – Saint-Paul River – Lourdes-de-Blanc-Sablon

MSN:

164

YOM:

1956

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Aircraft flight hours:

5088

Circumstances:

The single engine airplane departed Lourdes-de-Blanc-Sablon Airport at 1530LT on a trip to Sainte-Augustine, Saint-Paul River and back to Lourdes-de-Blanc-Sablon. Seven passengers embarked at Saint-Paul River Airstrip. On the last leg, weather conditions deteriorated with fog and clouds down to 200 feet. In unknown circumstances, control was lost and the airplane crashed in an uninhabited area located near Bradore Bay. As the airplane failed to return to its base, SAR operations were conducted and three days later, three dead bodies and few debris were found. A week later, all operations were suspended as no trace of the main wreckage or the rest of the occupants was found.

Probable cause:

Loss of control for undetermined reason.

Crash of a Beechcraft E18S off Marco Island

Date & Time: Sep 5, 1968 at 1612 LT

Type of aircraft:

Beechcraft E18

Operator:

Wat Henry Car Leasing Company

Registration:

N820

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Executive/Corporate/Business

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Lake, Sea, Ocean, River

MSN:

BA-185

YOM:

1956

Location:

Marco Island

Florida

Country:

United States of America

Region:

North America

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Captain / Total flying hours:

18716

Captain / Total hours on type:

4117.00

Circumstances:

While cruising along the shore, the pilot experience a double engine failure. Unable to maintain a safe altitude, he attempted to ditch the aircraft few hundred yards off Marco Island. The pilot was quickly rescued while the airplane sank and was lost.

Probable cause:

Powerplant failure for undetermined reason. The airplane was not recovered.

Final Report:

Crash of a De Havilland DH.114 Heron 2D off Bodø

Date & Time: Sep 4, 1968

Type of aircraft:

De Havilland DH.114 Heron

Operator:

Registration:

LN-NPH

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Scheduled Revenue Flight

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Lake, Sea, Ocean, River

MSN:

14127

YOM:

1959

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

Crashed in unknown circumstances into the sea few hundred meters off Bodø. While all occupants were rescued, the aircraft sank and was lost.

Crash of a De Havilland DHC-2 Beaver near Fort Norman: 4 killed

Date & Time: Sep 2, 1968

Type of aircraft:

De Havilland DHC-2 Beaver

Operator:

Registration:

CF-EYV

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Charter/Taxi (Non Scheduled Revenue Flight)

Survivors:

Site:

Mountains

MSN:

478

YOM:

1953

Location:

Fort Norman

Northwest Territories

Country:

Canada

Region:

North America

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

While making a turn in marginal weather conditions, the single engine aircraft went out of control and crashed on the slope of a mountain located in the MacKenzie Mountain Range. The wreckage was found 177 km southwest of Fort Norman. All four occupants have been killed.

Crash of a De Havilland DHC-3 Otter near Odda: 5 killed

Date & Time: Aug 31, 1968

Type of aircraft:

De Havilland DHC-3 Otter

Operator:

Westwing

Registration:

LN-BFD

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Charter/Taxi (Non Scheduled Revenue Flight)

Survivors:

Site:

Mountains

MSN:

199

YOM:

1957

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

En route, weather conditions worsened and the visibility was poor due to heavy rain falls. While cruising at an insufficient altitude, the single engine aircraft struck the slope of a mountain located near Odda. The airplane disintegrated on impact and all five occupants were killed. It was leased from Ocean Products to Westwing.

Crash of a Boeing B-52C-45-BO Stratofortress in Cape Canaveral

Date & Time: Aug 29, 1968

Type of aircraft:

Boeing B-52 Stratofortress

Operator:

Registration:

54-2667

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

McCoy - McCoy

MSN:

17163

YOM:

1954

Location:

Cape Canaveral

Florida

Country:

United States of America

Region:

North America

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

Few minutes after takeoff from McCoy AFB in Orlando, the crew encountered technical problems with the flaps when the electrical system failed. Due to subsequent fuel starvation, the crew decided to abandon the aircraft and bailed out. The aircraft dove into the ground and crashed in a huge explosion near Cape Canaveral. All seven occupants were uninjured.

Probable cause:

Failure of the electrical system.