What happened
On the day of the accident, an aircraft departed from Perpignan under an IFR flight plan, intending to fly directly to Oran at an altitude of 8,000 feet. The flight was estimated to last approximately three hours and fifteen minutes, with Algiers designated as the alternate airport. Following a standard engine run-up, the crew took off from Perpavant at 10:45 LT, initially climbing on a heading slightly south-southeast of the direct route to navigate around the Alberes mountains.
During the flight, the crew maintained contact with various navigational stations. At 10:56 LT, the aircraft reported its position and altitude to the Perpignan navigational D/F station. Shortly thereafter, the station noted significant static interference during transmissions. By 11:31 LT, the aircraft had contacted the Aix area control centre, reporting it was passing Barcelona abeam. At 12:00 LT, communication was established with Algiers area control centre; the crew reported flying through intermittent cloud cover and requested a true bearing.
The final communication from the aircraft occurred at 12:26 LT. During this transmission, the crew reported their position relative to Algiers and requested permission to descend from 8,000 feet to 6,000 feet while operating in cloud conditions. Approximately two minutes after this last contact, the aircraft experienced a loss of control and impacted the sea near Cap de la Nau, roughly 50 km northwest of Ibiza Island. The impact destroyed the aircraft, and all 39 occupants were killed.
Findings
Investigations into the wreckage and flight logs revealed that while the meteorological conditions matched the forecasts provided to the crew during their stopover in Perpignan, the weather presented significant challenges. The aircraft was operating in difficult weather conditions involving cloud cover and static interference. It is believed that the loss of control led to a structural failure of the airframe upon impact with the water.