Marseille – Algiers – Hassi Messaoud

On July 26, 1969 at 01:30 AM, Marseille – Algiers – Hassi Messaoud experienced a crash involving Sud-Aviation SE-210 Caravelle, operated by Air Algérie, with the event recorded near Aïn Naga Biskra.

The flight was categorized as charter/taxi (non scheduled revenue flight) and the reported phase was flight at a desert crash site.

37 people were known to be on board, 35 fatalities were recorded, 2 survivors were identified or estimated. This corresponds to an estimated fatality rate of 94.6%.

Crew on board: 7, crew fatalities: 5, passengers on board: 30, passenger fatalities: 30, other fatalities: 0.

The listed crash cause is technical failure. The airplane was completing a charter flight from Marseille to Hassi Messaoud with an intermediate stop in Algiers, carrying French technicians flying to the Oil facilities in Hassi Messaoud. While in cruising altitude by night, an electrical short-circuit occurred in the cockpit panel, causing smoke to spread. The crew declared an emergency and elected to divert to Biskra Airport. While descending to Biskra, the airplane went out of control and crashed in flames in a desert area located near Aïn Naga, some 40 km southeast of Biskra. Both pilots were seriously injured while all 35 other occupants were killed.

Aircraft reference details include registration 7T-VAK, MSN 73, year of manufacture 1961.

Geospatial coordinates for this crash are approximately 34.6535°, 6.1416°.