Incident Overview
A scheduled international passenger flight en route from Paris to Port-Etienne, with stops in Marseilles and Palma de Mallorca, struck a mountain during the final leg of its journey. The aircraft had taken off from Palma de Mallorca at 0314 hours GMT, following an uneventful trip from Paris and a brief layover in Palma.
Flight Progress and Last Contact
After departing from Palma, the flight proceeded according to its flight plan, which included check-ins with area control centers at Barcelona, Seville, Casablanca, and Dakar, as well as the control tower at Port-Etienne. At 0339 hours, the flight advised Palma control tower that it was over Ibiza. It reported crossing the Barcelona FIR boundary at 0401 hours at flight level 100. At 0353 hours, it informed Seville FIR that it estimated crossing the FIR boundary at 0401 at flight level 100 and reaching Los Alcazares at 0415 hours. At 0420 hours, the flight reported having passed Los Alcazares at 0415 hours in clear skies, with estimates for abeam Malaga at 0500 hours, overhead Tanger at 0524 hours, and arrival at Port-Etienne at 1020 hours. This was the last communication received from the flight. Subsequent attempts by Seville FIR to contact the aircraft were unsuccessful.
Accident and Impact
The aircraft struck a mountain at 0445 hours.
Probable Cause
The official investigation concluded that at the time of last contact, the aircraft was flying in clear skies. It deviated from the flight plan but flew at altitudes within the established safety margin, then struck a mountain. The reason for the deviation from the planned route could not be determined. It is believed that after Los Alcazares (0415 hours), the aircraft headed for Tanger, deviating slightly from the planned route, which was 25 km away from the accident site, and at altitudes within the safety margin. The difference between the Los Alcazares-Tanger route and the Los Alcazares-accident site route exceeds 5°. Since the automatic pilot error is plus or minus 1°, the remaining 4° may have been caused by wind or some other undiscovered error.