Investigation Summary
The flight was operating a scheduled service from Cairo to Tehran via Baghdad. Upon arrival in the Tehran area, the crew encountered a severe snowstorm with low ceilings. Despite the conditions, the pilot reported at 7:10 p.m. that they were over the field. The control tower fired repeated flares to assist the crew. A final radio transmission was received stating, 'We now see the runway,' and witnesses on the ground heard the aircraft turn before it went out of earshot. When radio contact was lost, search efforts were hampered by the ongoing storm. The wreckage was located the following morning by an Iranian search plane. The aircraft had struck two hills—leaving tire tracks on the first and propellers on the second—before crashing into a deep gulley. Among the 21 victims were Henry G. Bennett, Director of the Technical Cooperation Administration, his wife, and several other U.S. officials involved in the Point Four Program. An investigation commission later concluded that the pilot failed to carry out technical landing requirements, contributing to the disaster alongside the extreme weather conditions.
Final Conclusions
The accident was attributed to the severe weather conditions prevailing at the time of the approach. The aircraft crashed while maneuvering in a snowstorm, resulting in the loss of all 5 crew members and 15 passengers.
Video Analysis
No video analysis linked for this case file yet.
Systems & Failure Modes
SNCASE Languedoc
A French four-engine airliner developed from the Bloch MB.160, used extensively by Air France and Misrair in the post-war era.
Interesting Facts
- 01The aircraft was a French-built SNCASE Languedoc, manufacturer serial number 41.
- 02Prominent American educator and diplomat Henry G. Bennett and his wife Vera Connell Bennett were among the fatalities.
- 03The manifest included 16 passengers and 5 crew members, all of whom perished.
- 04The aircraft struck two separate hills before coming to rest in a ravine, indicating a possible controlled flight into terrain while maneuvering in low visibility.
- 05The last radio message from the cockpit was 'We now see the runway' shortly before contact was lost.
- 06While Wikipedia lists 20 fatalities and BAAA lists 22, the U.S. State Department bulletin confirms 21 victims.
Known Controversies & Unanswered Questions
Fuel Exhaustion Theory
Reference ↗The Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (BAAA) notes that investigators did not rule out the possibility that the aircraft suffered a loss of control due to fuel exhaustion after circling the airport multiple times in the storm.