Air France Flight 2005
Encyclopedia
Air France Flight 2005 of September 12, 1961 was a scheduled passenger service from Paris-Orly Airport to Casablanca airport with a stop at Rabat-Salé Airport
. The Sud Aviation Caravelle
aircraft crashed that day at 21:09 GMT near a place called Douar Doum 8.4 km from the threshold of runway 04 and 1.4 km to the left of the extended centreline at a height of 87.5m above sea level, killing all 77 people on board, including 6 crew members. The weather was foggy and unfavourable for landing.
with passengers and load within limits and fuel for four hours. The flight was uneventful until approaching Rabat/Salè airport. At 21:09 GMT the aircraft hit the ground before reaching the runway and aside from the airport. It was completely destroyed.
During the flight the crew reviewed the weather several times with the air traffic control and finally decided to land at Rabat, using the Non-directional beacon
(NDB). Air traffic control warned the pilot that the NDB was not aligned with the runway, but this message received no response.
The investigation reported an "Error in instrument reading" as probable cause.
Rabat-Salé Airport
Salé Airport or Rabat-Salé Airport is an airport serving Rabat, the capital city of Morocco, and also the capital of the Rabat-Salé-Zemmour-Zaer region. It is a joint use public and military airport, also known as the First Royal Air Force Base...
. The Sud Aviation Caravelle
Sud Aviation Caravelle
The Sud Aviation SE 210 Caravelle was the first short/medium-range jet airliner produced by the French Sud Aviation firm starting in 1955 . The Caravelle was one of the more successful European first generation jetliners, selling throughout Europe and even penetrating the United States market, with...
aircraft crashed that day at 21:09 GMT near a place called Douar Doum 8.4 km from the threshold of runway 04 and 1.4 km to the left of the extended centreline at a height of 87.5m above sea level, killing all 77 people on board, including 6 crew members. The weather was foggy and unfavourable for landing.
Flight history
The aircraft left Paris (ORY) at 18:26 GMT for the first leg to RabatRabat
Rabat , is the capital and third largest city of the Kingdom of Morocco with a population of approximately 650,000...
with passengers and load within limits and fuel for four hours. The flight was uneventful until approaching Rabat/Salè airport. At 21:09 GMT the aircraft hit the ground before reaching the runway and aside from the airport. It was completely destroyed.
Investigation
The investigation concluded that there was no evidence of technical failure, neither for physical failure of the personnel nor of air traffic control. Weather conditions were very unfavourable for landing at Rabat/Salé and fast changing and deteriorating shortly before the accident. The pilot took advice from the Air France operations agent in Casablanca and considered proceeding directly to Casablanca because of the weather.During the flight the crew reviewed the weather several times with the air traffic control and finally decided to land at Rabat, using the Non-directional beacon
Non-directional beacon
A non-directional beacon is a radio transmitter at a known location, used as an aviation or marine navigational aid. As the name implies, the signal transmitted does not include inherent directional information, in contrast to other navigational aids such as low frequency radio range, VHF...
(NDB). Air traffic control warned the pilot that the NDB was not aligned with the runway, but this message received no response.
The investigation reported an "Error in instrument reading" as probable cause.