Narrative:King Hassan of Morocco was returning from a state visit to France when three Northrop F-5 jets of the Royal Moroccan Air Force opened fire on the aircraft in an assassination attempt.
The fighter pilots were led to believe that the King had died in the attack, and the Boeing 727 was able to land safely at Rabat on one engine.
When learning that the King was not hurt, the F-5 jets returned and strafed the Boeing 727 and VIP terminal at Rabat Airport. The government reported three were killed in the attack on the terminal.
Classification:
Shot down by aircraft
Forced landing on runway
Sources:
»
King Hassan Foils Another Assassination Attempt (Desert Sun, 17 August 1972)»
Morocco: Journalists Are Shown King Hassan's Bullet-Riddled Aircraft.
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 Paris-Le Bourget Airport to Rabat-Sale Airport as the crow flies is 1811 km (1132 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.