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Last updated: 25 February 2021
Status:
Date:Friday 22 June 1962
Time:04:03
Type:Silhouette image of generic B703 model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different
Boeing 707-328
Operator:Air France
Registration: F-BHST
C/n / msn: 18247/274
First flight: 1962-02-23 (4 months)
Engines: 4 Pratt & Whitney JT4A-
Crew:Fatalities: 10 / Occupants: 10
Passengers:Fatalities: 103 / Occupants: 103
Total:Fatalities: 113 / Occupants: 113
Aircraft damage: Destroyed
Aircraft fate: Written off (damaged beyond repair)
Location:25 km (15.6 mls) WNW of Pointe-à-Pitre-Le Raizet Airport (PTP) (   Guadeloupe)
Crash site elevation: 427 m (1401 feet) amsl
Phase: Approach (APR)
Nature:International Scheduled Passenger
Departure airport:Santa Maria-Vila do Porto Airport, Azores (SMA/LPAZ), Portugal
Destination airport:Pointe-à-Pitre-Le Raizet Airport (PTP/TFFR), Guadeloupe
Flightnumber:AF117
Narrative:
A Boeing 707-328, operated by Air France, was destroyed when it crashed into a hillside near Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe. All 113 on board were killed.
The aircraft, named "Chateau de Chantilly", operated flight 117 from Paris-Orly (France) to Santiago (Chile) with en route stops at Lisbon (Portugal), Santa Maria (Azores), Pointe-à-Pitre (Guadeloupe), Caracas (Venezuela), Bogotá (Colombia) and Lima (Peru).
The VOR at Le Raizet Airport was unserviceable when the flight approached Guadeloupe at night. Weather conditions were poor; a violent thunderstorm existed in the area and visibility was 10 km and a ceiling of 1000 feet within the squall. The crew reported over the NDB at 5000 feet and carried out a turn back towards the east to begin its final approach. Incorrect ADF indications, as a result of the thunderstorm, caused the plane to stray 15 km off the procedural let-down track. The Boeing 707 then crashed into a forest on a hill at an altitude of about 1400 feet.

Probable Cause:

PROBABLE CAUSE: 1) Breakdown of the VOR; 2) insufficient meteorological information given to the crew; 3) the atmospheric effects on the ADF indicator.

Classification:
Lightningstrike

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT) - Mountain

Sources:
» Aviation Disasters / D. Gero


Photos

photo of Boeing-707-328-F-BHST
accident date: 22-06-1962
type: Boeing 707-328
registration: F-BHST
photo of Boeing-707-328-F-BHST
accident date: 22-06-1962
type: Boeing 707-328
registration: F-BHST
photo of Boeing-707-328-F-BHST
accident date: 22-06-1962
type: Boeing 707-328
registration: F-BHST
photo of Boeing-707-328-F-BHST
accident date: 22-06-1962
type: Boeing 707-328
registration: F-BHST
photo of Boeing-707-328-F-BHST
accident date: 22-06-1962
type: Boeing 707-328
registration: F-BHST
photo of Boeing-707-328-F-BHST
accident date: 22-06-1962
type: Boeing 707-328
registration: F-BHST
photo of Boeing-707-328-F-BHST
accident date: 22-06-1962
type: Boeing 707-328
registration: F-BHST
photo of Boeing-707-328-F-BHST
accident date: 22-06-1962
type: Boeing 707-328
registration: F-BHST
photo of Boeing-707-328-F-BHST
accident date: 22-06-1962
type: Boeing 707-328
registration: F-BHST
photo of Boeing-707-328-F-BHST
accident date: 22-06-1962
type: Boeing 707-328
registration: F-BHST
photo of Boeing-707-328-F-BHST
accident date: 22-06-1962
type: Boeing 707-328
registration: F-BHST
photo of Boeing-707-328-F-BHST
accident date: 22-06-1962
type: Boeing 707-328
registration: F-BHST
photo of Boeing-707-328-F-BHST
accident date: 22-06-1962
type: Boeing 707-328
registration: F-BHST
photo of Boeing-707-328-F-BHST
accident date: 22-06-1962
type: Boeing 707-328
registration: F-BHST
photo of Boeing-707-328-F-BHST
accident date: 22-06-1962
type: Boeing 707-328
registration: F-BHST
photo of Boeing-707-328-F-BHST
F-BHST
photo of Boeing-707-328-F-BHST
F-BHST
photo of Boeing-707-328-F-BHST
F-BHST
photo of Boeing-707-328-F-BHST
F-BHST
photo of Boeing-707-328-F-BHST
F-BHST
photo of Boeing-707-328-F-BHST
F-BHST
photo of Boeing-707-328-F-BHST
F-BHST
 

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 Santa Maria-Vila do Porto Airport, Azores to Pointe-à-Pitre-Le Raizet Airport as the crow flies is 4217 km (2636 miles).
Accident location: Global; accuracy within tens or hundreds of kilometers.

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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Boeing 707

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  • 9th loss
  • 8th fatal accident
  • 2nd worst accident (at the time)
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 Guadeloupe
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