What happened
The flight crew was instructed by air traffic control to hold in a stack for approximately thirty minutes while an Air Algérie DC-3 completed its landing at the same airport. ATC offered the option to divert to Pontoise-Cormeilles en Vexin if immediate landing was required, but the captain elected to maintain the hold between 700 and 1,000 meters altitude. After the hold, the crew received authorization to descend for an approach to Le Bourget.
During the final approach segment, at a height of roughly 150 feet above the ground, the aircraft entered a stall. The plane crashed into a tulip field situated 1,500 meters short of the runway threshold. The impact resulted in serious injuries to two passengers and fatal injuries to the remaining fourteen occupants. Although the two injured passengers initially survived the crash, they both succumbed to their wounds a few hours later.
The flight deck consisted of a pilot, a copilot, a radio navigator, a mechanic, and a steward.
Findings
Official investigations indicated that weather conditions were good at the time of the accident. No technical failures were identified in the airframe or its instruments. The probable cause was attributed to the stall on final approach, potentially resulting from an insufficient approach speed.