Paris – Nice – Beirut – Baghdad – Karachi – Calcutta – Saigon

On September 1, 1953 at 11:30 PM, Paris – Nice – Beirut – Baghdad – Karachi – Calcutta – Saigon experienced a crash involving Lockheed L-749 Constellation, operated by Air France, with the event recorded near Mt Cemet Alpes-de-Haute-Provence.

The flight was categorized as scheduled revenue flight and the reported phase was flight at a mountains crash site.

42 people were known to be on board, 42 fatalities were recorded, 0 survivors were identified or estimated. This corresponds to an estimated fatality rate of 100.0%.

Crew on board: 9, crew fatalities: 9, passengers on board: 33, passenger fatalities: 33, other fatalities: 0.

The listed crash cause is human factor. The airplane left Paris-Orly in good weather conditions. However, few minutes later, the crew was informed about few turbulences over the Alps. While cruising by night at an altitude of 9,500 feet, the four engine aircraft hit the slope of Mt Cemet or Mt Cimet (3,020 meters high) located about 8 km northeast of Allos, in the department of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence. The wreckage was found at the altitude of 2,870 meters, about 150 meters below the summit. The aircraft disintegrated on impact and all 42 occupants were killed, among them the French violinist Jacques Thibaud and the French composer René Herbin. Crew: Jacques Tranoy, pilot, Jacques Calmette, copilot, Robert Mathis, radio navigator, M. Fontaine, mechanic, Jean-Marie Christophe, mechanic, Monique Perret, stewardess, Jean Menard, steward, Rémy Lebars, steward, Charles Delhomme, steward.

Aircraft reference details include registration F-BAZZ, MSN 2674, year of manufacture 1951.