ASN Aircraft accident Lockheed L-1649A Starliner F-BHBM Edjele
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Status:
Date:Wednesday 10 May 1961
Time:02:30
Type:Silhouette image of generic stlr model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different
Lockheed L-1649A Starliner
Operator:Air France
Registration: F-BHBM
MSN: 1027
First flight: 1957
Total airframe hrs:10014
Engines: 4 Wright R-3350 (988TC18EA2)
Crew:Fatalities: 9 / Occupants: 9
Passengers:Fatalities: 69 / Occupants: 69
Total:Fatalities: 78 / Occupants: 78
Aircraft damage: Destroyed
Aircraft fate: Written off (damaged beyond repair)
Location:100 km (62.5 mls) N of Edjele (   Algeria)
Phase: En route (ENR)
Nature:International Scheduled Passenger
Departure airport:Fort Lamy Airport (NDJ/FTTJ), Chad
Destination airport:Marseille-Marignane Airport (MRS/LFML), France
Flightnumber:AF406
Narrative:
Air France flight 406 was carried out by a Lockheed L-1649A Starliner named "De Grasse". It was a scheduled flight from Brazzaville (BZV) to Paris with intermediate stops at Bangui Airport (BGF), Central African Republic, Fort Lamy Airport (NDJ), now N'Djamena in Chad, and Marseille. Cruising at an altitude of 20,000 feet the empennage failed. The Starliner broke up in flight and crashed in the Sahara desert. It is thought that the empennage broke away as a result of the detonation of a nitrocellulose explosive device.

Classification:
Sabotage
Fuselage failure
Loss of control

Sources:
» Aviation Disasters / D. Gero
» The Sydney Morning Herald - May 12, 1961


Photos

photo of Lockheed-L-1649A-Starliner-F-BHBM
accident date: 10-05-1961
type: Lockheed L-1649A Starliner
registration: F-BHBM
photo of Lockheed-L-1649A-Starliner-F-BHBM
accident date: 10-05-1961
type: Lockheed L-1649A Starliner
registration: F-BHBM
photo of Lockheed-L-1649A-Starliner-F-BHBM
accident date: 10-05-1961
type: Lockheed L-1649A Starliner
registration: F-BHBM
photo of Lockheed-L-1649A-Starliner-F-BHBM
accident date: 10-05-1961
type: Lockheed L-1649A Starliner
registration: F-BHBM
photo of Lockheed-L-1649A-Starliner-F-BHBM
accident date: 10-05-1961
type: Lockheed L-1649A Starliner
registration: F-BHBM
photo of Lockheed-L-1649A-Starliner-F-BHBM
accident date: 10-05-1961
type: Lockheed L-1649A Starliner
registration: F-BHBM
photo of Lockheed-L-1649A-Starliner-F-BHBM
accident date: 10-05-1961
type: Lockheed L-1649A Starliner
registration: F-BHBM
photo of Lockheed-L-1649A-Starliner-F-BHBM
accident date: 10-05-1961
type: Lockheed L-1649A Starliner
registration: F-BHBM
photo of Lockheed-L-1649A-Starliner-F-BHBM
accident date: 10-05-1961
type: Lockheed L-1649A Starliner
registration: F-BHBM
 

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 Fort Lamy Airport to Marseille-Marignane Airport as the crow flies is 3587 km (2242 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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Lockheed L-1649

  • 44 built
  • 2nd loss
  • 2nd fatal accident
  • The worst accident
» safety profile

 Algeria
  • The worst accident (at the time)
  • 3rd worst accident (currently)
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