Accident
A charter flight from Rome to Montreal, with intermediate stops in Paris, Shannon, and Keflavik, was transporting 51 Canadian pilgrims and a crew of seven back from a pilgrimage in Rome. While cruising at night at an altitude of 6,000 feet between Grenoble and Gap, the four-engine aircraft struck the east slope of Mount Obiou (Grande Tête de l'Obiou), which has a peak elevation of 2,789 meters. Search and rescue operations were quickly initiated, but several hours were required for rescuers to access the difficult-to-reach crash site. The wreckage was found on snow-covered terrain. All 58 occupants were killed.
Crew
The flight crew consisted of pilot Orville-Alfred Olmstead, copilot Robert-James Henderson, navigator Henry-Thomas Warkentin, navigator Arthur Bethwell, radio operator Dennis-Norman Nichols, purser Roderick-Malcolm McIsaac, and stewardess Helen-Marjory Johnston.
Probable Cause
The official investigation determined that the aircraft had deviated from the prescribed flight path by 80 kilometers to the east at the time of the accident, due to a strong wind blowing from the west. The crew apparently realized their incorrect position and attempted to correct their route, but were too late to avoid the collision with the ground.