What happened
Following its departure from Frankfurt-Main Airport, the crew received reports regarding significant northwest winds reaching 30 knots along the flight path between Bordeaux and Dijon. The pilot-in-command proceeded with the flight under instrument flight rules (IFR) at a cruising altitude of 6,000 feet.
While navigating through marginal weather conditions, the aircraft type struck a mountain slope in the vicinity of Le Mont-Dore, situated approximately 32 km southwest of Clermont-Ferrand. The impact resulted in the total destruction of the plane and caused 36 fatalities, with no survivors among the occupants.
At the time of the accident, visibility beneath the cloud base—which was reported at 1,000 meters with 6/8 coverage—was estimated to be greater than 40 km. However, the flight was significantly off its intended course, positioned 100 km south of its planned track.
Findings
Investigations into the circumstances of the crash highlighted two primary contributing factors. First, the aircraft was flying at an altitude of 6,000 feet rather than the originally planned 8,000 feet. Second, strong winds likely caused a significant navigational deviation of 100 km from the intended flight path.