17 fatalities

Mediterranean Crash Off Gibraltar During Rabat-Istres Flight

Gibraltar, United KingdomFlight

On October 21, 1948, a Douglas A-26 Invader operated by French Air Force - Armée de l'Air was involved in an aviation accident near Gibraltar, United Kingdom in flight. 17 people were killed. This summary draws on records from the Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A); 8 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

Sourcesthe Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A)Primary reportUpdated 2026-08-05Data APIEditorial standards

An aircraft crashed into the Mediterranean Sea near Gibraltar while en route from Rabat to Istres. The circumstances of the accident remain unknown, and no specific fatality or injury counts are recorded in the source data.

What happened

The incident involved an aircraft operating a scheduled flight between Rabat and Istres. During this journey, the aircraft entered the waters of the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Gibraltar. The crash occurred in these international waters, resulting in the loss of the airframe. No specific registration number was provided in the available records for this event.

Findings

The official investigation has not yet established a definitive cause for the accident. Current records describe the circumstances as unknown, indicating that further technical analysis or data retrieval is required to determine the contributing factors. There are no confirmed reports of survivors or specific injury counts associated with this specific entry in the database.