ASN Aircraft accident Sud Aviation SE-210 Caravelle III F-BOHB Nice, France
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Status:Accident investigation report completed and information captured
Date:Wednesday 11 September 1968
Time:10:34
Type:Silhouette image of generic S210 model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different
Sud Aviation SE-210 Caravelle III
Operator:Air France
Registration: F-BOHB
MSN: 244
First flight: 1968
Total airframe hrs:1001
Cycles:579
Engines: 2 Rolls-Royce Avon 527B
Crew:Fatalities: 6 / Occupants: 6
Passengers:Fatalities: 89 / Occupants: 89
Total:Fatalities: 95 / Occupants: 95
Aircraft damage: Destroyed
Aircraft fate: Written off (damaged beyond repair)
Location:41 km (25.6 mls) S off Nice, France (   Mediterranean Sea)
Phase: En route (ENR)
Nature:Domestic Scheduled Passenger
Departure airport:Ajaccio-Campo dell'Oro Airport (AJA/LFKJ), France
Destination airport:Nice-Côte d'Azur Airport (NCE/LFMN), France
Flightnumber:AF1611
Narrative:
A Sud Aviation SE-210 Caravelle III passenger plane, registered F-BOHB and named "Bearn", was destroyed in an accident 41 km south off Nice, France. All 89 passengers and six crew members were killed.
Air France flight 1611 departed Ajaccio, Corsica at 10:09 on a regular flight to Nice-Côte d'Azur Airport (NCE). The Caravelle was overhead the Mediterranean Sea at 10:30 when the crew reported unspecified problems and requested a direct approach to Nice. This was approved. At 10:31 the flight contacted Nice Approach and reported a fire on board, repeating their request for an emergency landing at Nice.
Nice Approach cleared the flight to descend to 2000 feet without restrictions. Last radio contact was at 10:32 when the crew radioed: "On va crasher si ça continue." ("We will crash if this continues"). At 10:34 the airplane struck the surface of the sea.
It appeared that the fire had originated in the rear of the cabin in the right lavatory and galley area.
It has been suggested in several tv shows that the airplane was struck by an unarmed missile, fired during French military practice.

Probable Cause:

PROBABLE CAUSE: The Board concluded that the loss of F-BOHB was caused by a cabin fire, the origin of which it could not determine.

Accident investigation:

cover
Investigating agency: BEA France
Status: Investigation completed
Duration: 4 years and 3 months
Accident number: f-hb680911
Download report: Final report

Classification:
Inflight fire
Loss of control

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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 Ajaccio-Campo dell'Oro Airport to Nice-Côte d'Azur Airport as the crow flies is 231 km (144 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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Caravelle

  • 282 built
  • 12th loss
  • 9th fatal accident
  • The worst accident (at the time)
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