Narrative:
An Ilyushin Il-14M operated by Air Mali crashed in the French Alps, killing all seven on board.
The aircraft had departed Minsk, with destination Bamako, Mali. The first intermediate stops were planned at Zagreb and Marseille. On the legt to Marseille, the aircraft impacted the mountainside of Montagne de l'Avalanche in poor weather conditions.
The commission of inquiry considers that:
The TZ-ABH accident was caused by the accumulation of two main errors acting in the same direction.
1. A navigation error due to the force of an unknown or underestimated South wind which caused an important uncorrected drift and carried the plane towards the terrain.
2. An error of interpretation of a controller order, due to a complexity of conversation exchanges. This error determined the pilot to take, starting from a position already very North of the Airway, the course 360°, which carried the plane even more towards the terrain.
This misinterpretation can itself be attributed to the fact that there is no international phraseology for the orders given by the control to the en route aircraft.
These errors were compounded:
1. By very bad meteorological conditions.
These meteorological circumstances: thunderstorms and very strong turbulence, could have constituted aggravating causes by making difficult the work of the crew and in particular the navigation with the help of the medium' frequency radiocompasses, only instruments of radio navigation _ of which it had on board this plane.
2. By the fact that the plane followed an East-West route contrary to the forecasts of the flight plan.
3. By an altitude much too low, taking into account the followed route
Language/communication problems
Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT) - Mountain
| Status: | Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
| Date: | Saturday 5 November 1966 |
| Time: | 18:02 UTC |
| Type: |  Ilyushin Il-14M |
| Operator: | Air Mali |
| Registration: | TZ-ABH |
| MSN: | 7342501 |
| First flight: | 1957 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 3920 |
| Engines: | 2 Shvetsov ASh-82T |
| Crew: | Fatalities: 5 / Occupants: 5 |
| Passengers: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 |
| Total: | Fatalities: 7 / Occupants: 7 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Aircraft fate: | Written off (damaged beyond repair) |
| Location: | 1,5 km (0.9 mls) W of Esteng ( France)
|
| Crash site elevation: | 2440 m (8005 feet) amsl |
| Phase: | En route (ENR) |
| Nature: | Ferry/positioning |
| Departure airport: | Zagreb-Pleso Airport (ZAG/LDZA), Croatia |
| Marseille-Marignane Airport (MRS/LFML), France |
An Ilyushin Il-14M operated by Air Mali crashed in the French Alps, killing all seven on board.
The aircraft had departed Minsk, with destination Bamako, Mali. The first intermediate stops were planned at Zagreb and Marseille. On the legt to Marseille, the aircraft impacted the mountainside of Montagne de l'Avalanche in poor weather conditions.
Probable Cause:
The commission of inquiry considers that:
The TZ-ABH accident was caused by the accumulation of two main errors acting in the same direction.
1. A navigation error due to the force of an unknown or underestimated South wind which caused an important uncorrected drift and carried the plane towards the terrain.
2. An error of interpretation of a controller order, due to a complexity of conversation exchanges. This error determined the pilot to take, starting from a position already very North of the Airway, the course 360°, which carried the plane even more towards the terrain.
This misinterpretation can itself be attributed to the fact that there is no international phraseology for the orders given by the control to the en route aircraft.
These errors were compounded:
1. By very bad meteorological conditions.
These meteorological circumstances: thunderstorms and very strong turbulence, could have constituted aggravating causes by making difficult the work of the crew and in particular the navigation with the help of the medium' frequency radiocompasses, only instruments of radio navigation _ of which it had on board this plane.
2. By the fact that the plane followed an East-West route contrary to the forecasts of the flight plan.
3. By an altitude much too low, taking into account the followed route
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Classification:
Aircraft strayed off planned course Language/communication problems
Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT) - Mountain
Sources:
» Soviet TransportsPhotos
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 Zagreb-Pleso Airport to Marseille-Marignane Airport as the crow flies is 890 km (556 miles).
Accident location: Approximate; accuracy within a few kilometers.
Distance from Zagreb-Pleso Airport to Marseille-Marignane Airport as the crow flies is 890 km (556 miles).
Accident location: Approximate; accuracy within a few 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.
The Aviation Safety Network is an exclusive service provided by:
