ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 331300
| Date: | Wednesday 3 December 1969 |
| Time: | 18:05 |
| Type: |  Boeing 707-328B |
| Owner/operator: | Air France |
| Registration: | F-BHSZ |
| MSN: | 18459/335 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1963 |
| Engine model: | Pratt & Whitney JT3D-3B |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 62 / Occupants: 62 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed, written off |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | ca 6,5 km off Caracas-Simon Bolivar Airport (CCS) -
 Venezuela
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Passenger - Scheduled |
| Departure airport: | Caracas-Simón Bolívar International Airport (CCS/SVMI) |
| Pointe-à-Pitre-Le Raizet Airport (PTP/TFFR) |
Air France Flight 212, a Boeing 707-300, impacted the sea three minutes after takeoff from Caracas, Venezuela.
The aircraft operated a scheduled service from Santiago de Chile to Paris with en route stops at Quito (Ecuador), Caracas (Venezuela) and Pointe-à-Pitre (Guadeloupe). The flight had been cleared to climb to a height of 3000 feet after takeoff when the aircraft lost altitude and crashed. The depth of the water in the area was around 160 feet.
BEA documents relating to the investigation of the accident are classified in the national archives until 2029. However, in a letter dated November 27, 1970, the Police Prefecture's Central Laboratory stated that technical analysis of the neighboring parts of the left main gear showed the presence of nitrocellulose, nitroglycerine and a nitro derivative in the form of traces that could come from the decomposition of dinitrotoluene or possibly trinitrotoluene.
They concluded that it was likely that a dynamite explosive device had been placed in the left main gear wheel well.
Sources:
Flight International 11 December 1969 (900)
Photocopie des courriers du BEA et du Laboratoire de la Préfecture de Police de Paris sur l'accident du F-BHSZ
Location
Images:
photo (c) Nadine Eichinger; Zürich-Kloten Airport (ZRH); October 1969
Revision history:
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