Santiago de Chile – Caracas – Pointe-à-Pitre – Lisbon – Paris

Three minutes after takeoff from Maiquetía-Simon Bolivar Airport, while climbing to a height of 3,000 feet by night, the aircraft went out of control, nosed down and plunged into the sea about 5 km offshore. The wreckage sank by a depth of 50 meters and all 62 occupants were killed.

Flight / Schedule

Santiago de Chile – Caracas – Pointe-à-Pitre – Lisbon – Paris

Aircraft

Boeing 707

Registration

F-BHSZ

MSN

18459/335

Year of Manufacture

1963

Operator

Air France

Date

December 3, 1969 at 06:05 PM

Type

CRASH

Flight Type

Scheduled Revenue Flight

Flight Phase

Takeoff (climb)

Crash Site

Lake, Sea, Ocean, River

Crash Location

Caracas-Maiquetía-Simón Bolívar Vargas

Region

South America • Venezuela

Crash Cause

Terrorism act, Hijacking, Sabotage

Narrative Report

On December 3, 1969 at 06:05 PM, Santiago de Chile – Caracas – Pointe-à-Pitre – Lisbon – Paris experienced a crash involving Boeing 707, operated by Air France, with the event recorded near Caracas-Maiquetía-Simón Bolívar Vargas.

The flight was categorized as scheduled revenue flight and the reported phase was takeoff (climb) at a lake, sea, ocean, river crash site.

62 people were known to be on board, 62 fatalities were recorded, 0 survivors were identified or estimated. This corresponds to an estimated fatality rate of 100.0%.

Crew on board: 21, crew fatalities: 21, passengers on board: 41, passenger fatalities: 41, other fatalities: 0.

The listed crash cause is terrorism act, hijacking, sabotage. Three minutes after takeoff from Maiquetía-Simon Bolivar Airport, while climbing to a height of 3,000 feet by night, the aircraft went out of control, nosed down and plunged into the sea about 5 km offshore. The wreckage sank by a depth of 50 meters and all 62 occupants were killed.

Aircraft reference details include registration F-BHSZ, MSN 18459/335, year of manufacture 1963.

Fatalities

Total

62

Crew

21

Passengers

41

Other

0

Crash Summary

Three minutes after takeoff from Maiquetía-Simon Bolivar Airport, while climbing to a height of 3,000 feet by night, the aircraft went out of control, nosed down and plunged into the sea about 5 km offshore. The wreckage sank by a depth of 50 meters and all 62 occupants were killed.

Cause: Terrorism act, Hijacking, Sabotage

Occupants & Outcome

Crew On Board

21

Passengers On Board

41

Estimated Survivors

0

Fatality Rate

100.0%

Known people on board: 62

Operational Details

Schedule / Flight

Santiago de Chile – Caracas – Pointe-à-Pitre – Lisbon – Paris

Operator

Air France

Flight Type

Scheduled Revenue Flight

Flight Phase

Takeoff (climb)

Crash Site

Lake, Sea, Ocean, River

Region / Country

South America • Venezuela

Aircraft Details

Aircraft

Boeing 707

Registration

F-BHSZ

MSN

18459/335

Year of Manufacture

1963

Similar Plane Crashes

March 15, 1927 at 12:00 AM

Compania Aeromaritima de Colombia

Dornier Do J Wal

The crew was performing a delivery flight from Willemstad (Curaçao) to Barranquilla. While overflying the Paraguaná Province, in Venezuela, the crew encountered technical problems and made an emergency landing off Punto Fijo. All three occupants were unhurt but the aircraft named 'Pacifico' was seriously damaged and later lost by sea.

October 31, 1933 at 11:20 AM2 Fatalities

Air France

Farman F.301

The airplane departed Zurich (Dübendorf) on a flight to Paris with an intermediate stop in Basel. It was carrying four chamois, 132 kilos of various goods, 239 kilos of gold and 20 kilos of mail. The crew departed Basel-Sternenfeld Airport at 1030LT in good weather conditions. But some 50 minutes into the flight, those conditions worsened and the visibility became poor due to fog. While cruising at an altitude of some 600 metres, the aircraft impacted trees and crashed in a wooded area located on a hillside in Étobon, 12 km west of Belfort. A passenger and the radio navigator were killed while all three other occupants were injured. A chamois should be killed due to his injuries while all three others animals went away. All goods, gold and mail were recovered. The aircraft was named 'L'Étoile d'argent'. Crew: Gaston Lafannechère, pilot, Mr. Bloquet, mechanic, Camille Suply, radio navigator. The passenger killed was Mr. Werner Spoerri, a Swiss pharmacist leaving in Einsideln.

November 16, 1933 at 09:00 AM

Air France

Lioré-et-Olivier LeO H-213

The crew departed Paris-Le Bourget Airport at 0840LT on a mail flight to Croydon. Twenty minutes later, while cruising at an altitude of 1,000 metres, the left engine caught fire. The crew decided to bail out and abandoned the aircraft that impacted an electricity pole and the roof of a factory before crashing in an affluent of the Avelon River, bursting into flames. Both pilots were uninjured while the aircraft was destroyed. All mail, more than one ton, was also destroyed.

November 18, 1933 at 12:00 AM

Air France

Latécoère 25

While on a mail flight to France, the crew encountered poor weather conditions and was forced to attempt an emergency landing. The airplane crash landed in Roses and was damaged beyond repair. Both crew members were uninjured.

November 25, 1933 at 05:00 PM

Air France

Breguet 280

The pilot René Carpentier was performing a flight from Lyon to Geneva. On approach to Geneva-Cointrin Airport, weather conditions were poor with fog and snow falls. The pilot decided to reduce his altitude to establish a visual contact with the ground when the aircraft impacted ground and crashed in a snow covered field located in Confignon, some 6 km south of the airport. The pilot was uninjured and the airplane was damaged beyond repair. The aircraft was still wearing the 'Air Union' title but was operated on behalf of Air France.

December 17, 1933 at 09:00 AM

Air France

CAMS 53

The float plane departed Marseille at 0840LT on a flight to Algiers, carrying one passenger and three crew members. Some twenty minutes into the flight, one of the engine failed, forcing the crew to ditch the aircraft. The radio navigator was able to send a mayday message and to report his position. In bad weather conditions and rough sea, the crew of the ship named 'Sainte Marguerite II' arrived on scene at 0600LT the following day and was able to evacuate all four occupants who were slightly injured. The aircraft sank and was lost.