Investigation Summary
General Leclerc was on an inspection tour of North Africa when his personal aircraft, 'Tailly II', departed Oran despite warnings of a major disturbance and sandstorms. While other pilots canceled their flights, Leclerc's pilot, Lieutenant François Delluc, proceeded with the mission. Facing a strong headwind and deteriorating visibility, Delluc descended to approximately 20 meters (66 feet) above the ground to follow the railway tracks leading to Colomb-Béchar. The crew reported being ten minutes from the airfield just before the railway line entered a hilly region. The aircraft struck the railway embankment at high speed, causing a massive explosion that scattered wreckage and engines across both sides of the tracks. Investigators found that the aircraft had been modified by the French Air Force with a rear bunk, which shifted the center of gravity and made the B-25 prone to tipping backward or entering a flat spin at low speeds. The presence of a 13th body, wearing a lieutenant's uniform but not listed on the manifest, led to various assassination rumors involving the KGB, Gaullists, and British secret services, though these were largely refuted by the nature of the impact site.
Final Conclusions
The official investigation concluded the crash was caused by the recklessness of the pilot, Lieutenant François Delluc, who flew at an unsafe altitude in marginal weather, and the persistence of General Leclerc, who insisted on maintaining his schedule despite unfavorable conditions. Secondary factors included the dangerous modification of the B-25 airframe, which likely compromised its stability at the low speeds and altitudes required for visual navigation in the sandstorm.
Video Analysis
No video analysis linked for this case file yet.
Crew Experience
Pilot
Lieutenant François-René Delluc
Systems & Failure Modes
Weight and Balance
Modifications to the B-25, including a rear bunk, made the aircraft tail-heavy and prone to flat spins at low speeds.
Radio Direction Finding (Gonio)
The crew received gonio positions from Béchar, but such data was considered unreliable by pilots of the era compared to visual navigation.
Interesting Facts
- 01The aircraft was a converted B-25D-10 Mitchell bomber originally registered as USAAF 41-30330.
- 02Thirteen bodies were recovered from the site, but only twelve were officially identified.
- 03The unidentified 13th victim was wearing a French Air Force lieutenant's uniform.
- 04Witnesses observed the plane flying at an estimated speed of 250 km/h just before the crash.
- 05The aircraft was modified with a rear bunk and office, which shifted its center of gravity.
Safety Actions & Advisories
Center of Gravity Review
The investigation highlighted the dangers of unauthorized or poorly engineered modifications to military aircraft for VIP transport.
Known Controversies & Unanswered Questions
The 13th Passenger
Reference ↗The discovery of an unidentified 13th body in a lieutenant's uniform led to theories of sabotage or assassination, though historians suggest it was likely an airman hitching an undocumented ride.