What happened
A flight operating from Paris-Orly toward Abidjan, with scheduled stops in Dakar and Monrovia, disappeared while attempting to land in Senegal. During the approach to runway 01 at Dakar, the crew initially declined an ILS approach for runway 30. Due to heavy rain and low visibility, the captain opted to enter a holding pattern to wait for better weather.
At approximately 06:41 local time, a second landing attempt on runway 01 was initiated. After the crew reported being on the downwind leg at 06:47 local time, the aircraft type vanished within a rain squall. The wreckage subsequently crashed into the ocean roughly 2,400 meters from the Mamelles lighthouse. The plane settled at a depth of 40 meters. Search efforts located debris and several bodies approximately two hours after the disappearance. There were 63 fatalities among the occupants.
Findings
Official investigations could not establish a definitive reason for the accident. Because the aircraft lacked flight recording systems and there was an insufficient amount of physical evidence available, investigators were unable to conclude why the plane went down during the weather event.