What happened
During a long-haul flight traveling from Paris to Santiago de Chile, an aircraft (four-engine model) was performing its descent toward Pointe-à-Pitre. As the crew approached Le Raizet Airport under nighttime conditions, they encountered severe weather involving thunderstorms that were more intense than what had been previously predicted.
During the approach phase, the aircraft impacted a 427-meter hill situated approximately 25 km northwest of the airport. The collision occurred in a heavily forested region, where the impact and subsequent fire completely destroyed the airframe. There were 113 fatalities among the occupants, with no survivors reported.
Findings
Investigations into the accident identified several critical contributing factors related to navigation and environmental conditions. At the time of the incident, the VOR station at Pointe-à-Pitre was not operational, forcing the crew to rely solely on NDB for their approach.
Furthermore, heavy thunderstorm activity in the vicinity caused significant atmospheric interference with the aircraft's ADF systems. This interference resulted in a navigation error of 15 km, leaving the aircraft significantly off its intended course. The combination of low visibility from the storm, nighttime operations, and inaccurate navigational readings led to the controlled flight into terrain.