Investigation Summary
The flight was a charter returning 51 pilgrims, including 15 Catholic priests, to Canada following a Holy Year pilgrimage to Rome. After departing Rome, the crew intended to fly via Bastia and the Istres beacon toward Paris. However, the aircraft drifted significantly east of its planned track due to strong westerly winds. At 16:26, the crew reported being over Istres, but they were actually 40 nautical miles east of that position. A subsequent report at 16:44 placed them over Montelimar, while the aircraft was actually near Gap-Tallard. The crew eventually realized they were off course and attempted to correct their heading. Although the aircraft was cruising at an assigned altitude of 6,000 feet, this was insufficient for the mountainous terrain of the Alps, which the crew had entered unknowingly due to the 80 km navigation error. The aircraft struck the eastern slope of Tête de l'Obiou. While the mountain's summit reaches 2,789 meters (approx. 9,150 feet), the impact occurred at an elevation of approximately 6,740 feet, just above the aircraft's reported cruising altitude, in conditions of falling night and heavy cloud cover.
Final Conclusions
The accident was caused by a significant navigational deviation resulting from strong westerly winds that pushed the aircraft 80 km off its prescribed course. The crew provided inaccurate position reports to air traffic control, indicating they were unaware of their true location until shortly before impact. The combination of nightfall, cloud-covered peaks, and insufficient altitude for the actual terrain led to the controlled flight into the mountain.
Video Analysis
No video analysis linked for this case file yet.
Airframe & Maintenance
Systems & Failure Modes
Navigation
The crew relied on non-directional beacons (NDB) and dead reckoning, which failed to account for strong westerly wind drift.
Interesting Facts
- 01The aircraft struck the mountain less than six feet from the summit.
- 02The accident occurred just 10 days after the crash of Air India Flight 245 on nearby Mont Blanc.
- 03Fifteen of the 58 victims were never identified due to the high impact forces.
- 04The flight was carrying 51 Canadian pilgrims, including 15 Catholic priests.
- 05The aircraft was 80 km (50 miles) off course at the time of the crash.
Safety Actions & Advisories
Search and Rescue Coordination
The difficulty of the recovery highlighted the dangers to alpine rescuers, leading to improved safety protocols for high-altitude crash site operations.