Aircraft Crash into the Sea Near Dakar (F-BHBC)

Flight Details and Approach History The aircraft was operating a flight from Paris-Orly to Abidjan, with scheduled intermediate stops at Dakar and Monrovia. While approaching Dakar shortly before sunset, the flight crew declined an instrument landing system (ILS) approach to runway 30 and instead initiated an approach to runway 01. This initial approach was abandoned because of low visibility resulting from poor weather conditions. The captain then elected to enter a holding pattern while awaiting an improvement in the weather. ## Second Approach and Impact Shortly after 0641 local time, the crew commenced a second landing attempt on runway 01. After reporting downwind at 0647 local time, the aircraft disappeared in a rain squall and crashed into the sea approximately 2,400 meters off the Mamelles lighthouse. The aircraft sank to a depth of 40 meters. A small amount of debris and several bodies were recovered about two hours later. All 63 occupants on board were killed. ## Crew The crew consisted of Lucien Boirre, pilot; Jean Roze, copilot; Eugène Schuller, radio operator; Jean-Camille Baty, mechanic; Louis Meleder, mechanic; Geneviève Sabourin, stewardess; François Quiret, steward; and Albert-Émile Guepratte, steward. ## Investigation Findings The official investigation concluded that the exact cause of the accident could not be determined. This outcome was attributed to a lack of evidence and the fact that the aircraft was not equipped with flight recording systems.