Criminal Occurrence description
Last updated: 24 May 2013
| Status: | |
| Date: | 10 MAY 1961 |
| Time: | ca 02:30 |
| Type: | Lockheed L-1649A Starliner |
| Operator: | Air France |
| Registration: | F-BHBM |
| C/n / msn: | 1027 |
| First flight: | 1957 |
| Crew: | Fatalities: 9 / Occupants: 9 |
| Passengers: | Fatalities: 69 / Occupants: 69 |
| Total: | Fatalities: 78 / Occupants: 78 |
| Airplane damage: | Destroyed |
| Airplane fate: | Written off (damaged beyond repair) |
| Location: | 100 km (62.5 mls) N of Edjele (Algeria)
 |
| Phase: | En route (ENR) |
| Nature: | International Scheduled Passenger |
| Departure airport: | Fort Lamy Airport (NDJ/FTTJ), Chad |
| Marseille-Marignane Airport (MRS/LFML), France | |
| Flightnumber: | 406 |
Air France flight 406 was carried out by a Lockheed L-1649A Starliner named "De Grasse". It was a scheduled flight from Brazzaville (BZV) to Paris with intermediate stops at Bangui Airport (BGF), Central African Republic, Fort Lamy Airport (NDJ), now N'Djamena in Chad, and Marseille. Cruising at an altitude of 20,000 feet the empennage failed. The Starliner broke up in flight and crashed in the Sahara desert. It is thought that the empennage broke away as a result of the detonation of a nitrocellulose explosive device.
Events:
Sources:
» Aviation Disasters / D. Gero
Sample newspaper article from Newspaperarchive.com
Photos
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 Fort Lamy Airport to Marseille-Marignane Airport as the crow flies is 3587 km (2242 miles).
Distance from Fort Lamy Airport to Marseille-Marignane Airport as the crow flies is 3587 km (2242 miles).
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.
languages:
Algeria
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Lockheed L-1649
Algeria- worst accident (at the time)
- 2nd worst accident (currently)