Investigation Summary
The flight was the second leg of a scheduled service from Paris to Tehran. While cruising at 17,500 feet off the coast of Rhodes, a blade on the No. 3 engine's propeller fractured. The resulting imbalance created severe vibrations that tore the engine from its mounts. As the engine fell, it impacted the rear fuselage, further compromising the aircraft's structural and aerodynamic integrity. The vibration levels were so intense that the crew lost effective control of the adjacent No. 4 engine. With two engines compromised on the same wing and the aircraft rapidly descending, Captain Raymond Terry opted for a ditching rather than attempting to reach land over the rugged Turkish coast. The aircraft remained afloat for 62 minutes, allowing most occupants to evacuate, but the lack of liferafts forced survivors to cling to the wings or swim toward the shore in the dark.
Final Conclusions
The final report, released on 16 March 1954, concluded that the accident was caused by a propeller blade fracture that led to the separation of the No. 3 engine and subsequent loss of control of the No. 4 engine. The specific underlying cause of the propeller blade fracture could not be determined.
Video Analysis
No video analysis linked for this case file yet.
Airframe & Maintenance
Crew Experience
Captain
Raymond Terry
Radio Operator
René Debiais
Flight Attendant
Simone Rospars
Systems & Failure Modes
Wright R-3350 Duplex-Cyclone Engines
The aircraft was powered by four radial engines; the failure of a propeller blade on the No. 3 engine caused the entire unit to vibrate until it detached.
Propeller Assembly
A fracture in one of the propeller blades was the initiating event, though the investigation could not determine why the blade failed.
Interesting Facts
- 01The aircraft was a Lockheed L-749A Constellation that had flown 10,058 hours since its first flight in 1950.
- 02The ditching was performed at night, guided by the flashing light of the Kızılada Lighthouse.
- 03Four elderly passengers drowned during the wait for rescue or the attempt to reach shore.
- 04The wreckage was not officially located until the Turkish Navy discovered it in 2018.
- 05At the time of the accident, carrying liferafts was not mandatory for such flights.
Safety Actions & Advisories
Mandatory Liferafts
Following the accident and the difficulties faced by survivors in the water, it was made obligatory to carry liferafts on all commercial flights.