Narrative:
Lockheed Constellation F-BAZN departed Paris-Orly at 20:05 UTC for a flight to New York with an intermediate stop at Santa Maria, Azores. At 01:41 the crew reported 150nm from Santa Maria with an ETA of 02:45. The ETA was later changed to 02:55. At 02:51 the flight reported flying at 3000 feet with the airfield in sight. After acknowledging landing instructions, nothing more was heard from the flight. The Constellation had struck the Redondo Mountain at an elevation of 900 m.
Famous violinist Ginette Neveu and famous boxer Marcel Cerdan were killed in the crash.
PROBABLE CAUSE: "Failure to carry out either of the approach procedures for Santa Maria airport. False position reports given by crew. Inadequate navigation. Failure to identify Santa Maria Airport, when flying in VFR conditions."
| Status: | Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
| Date: | Friday 28 October 1949 |
| Time: | 02:51 UTC |
| Type: |  Lockheed L-749-79-46 Constellation |
| Operator: | Air France |
| Registration: | F-BAZN |
| MSN: | 2546 |
| First flight: | 1947 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 3394 |
| Engines: | 4 Wright R-3350 (749C18BD1) Cyclone |
| Crew: | Fatalities: 11 / Occupants: 11 |
| Passengers: | Fatalities: 37 / Occupants: 37 |
| Total: | Fatalities: 48 / Occupants: 48 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Aircraft fate: | Written off (damaged beyond repair) |
| Location: | Redondo Mountain, São Miguel Island, Azores ( Portugal)
|
| Crash site elevation: | 900 m (2953 feet) amsl |
| Phase: | Approach (APR) |
| Nature: | International Scheduled Passenger |
| Departure airport: | Paris-Orly Airport (ORY/LFPO), France |
| Santa Maria-Vila do Porto Airport, Azores (SMA/LPAZ), Portugal | |
| Flightnumber: | AF009 |
Lockheed Constellation F-BAZN departed Paris-Orly at 20:05 UTC for a flight to New York with an intermediate stop at Santa Maria, Azores. At 01:41 the crew reported 150nm from Santa Maria with an ETA of 02:45. The ETA was later changed to 02:55. At 02:51 the flight reported flying at 3000 feet with the airfield in sight. After acknowledging landing instructions, nothing more was heard from the flight. The Constellation had struck the Redondo Mountain at an elevation of 900 m.
Famous violinist Ginette Neveu and famous boxer Marcel Cerdan were killed in the crash.
Probable Cause:
PROBABLE CAUSE: "Failure to carry out either of the approach procedures for Santa Maria airport. False position reports given by crew. Inadequate navigation. Failure to identify Santa Maria Airport, when flying in VFR conditions."
Classification:
Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT) - Mountain
Sources:
» Final reportPhotos
Map
This map shows the airport of departure and the intended destination of the flight. The line between the airports does not display the exact flight path.
Distance from Paris-Orly Airport to Santa Maria-Vila do Porto Airport, Azores as the crow flies is 2558 km (1599 miles).
Accident location: Exact; as reported in the official accident report.
Distance from Paris-Orly Airport to Santa Maria-Vila do Porto Airport, Azores as the crow flies is 2558 km (1599 miles).
Accident location: Exact; as reported in the official accident report.
This information is not presented as the Flight Safety Foundation or the Aviation Safety Network’s opinion as to the cause of the accident. It is preliminary and is based on the facts as they are known at this time.
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Lockheed L-749
- 145 built
- 4th loss
- 3rd fatal accident
- The worst accident (at the time)
- 3rd worst accident (currently)
Portugal- The worst accident (at the time)
- 6th worst accident (currently)
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