14 fatalities

Four-Engine Aircraft Strikes Jebel Musa Near Ceuta, All 14 Occupants Killed (152182)

Jebel Musa, MoroccoFlight

On June 3, 1972, a Lockheed P-3 Orion (registration 152182) operated by United States Navy - USN was involved in an aviation accident near Jebel Musa, Morocco in flight. 14 people were killed. This summary draws on records from the Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A); 8 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

Sourcesthe Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A)Primary reportUpdated 2026-06-12Data APIEditorial standards

About an hour after departure from Rota NAS, Spain, a four-engine aircraft struck Jebel Musa near Ceuta while cruising at 800 meters in marginal weather. The aircraft was destroyed, killing all 14 occupants. The flight was en route to Souda Bay AFB, Greece.

Accident

A four-engine aircraft operated by the United States military struck the slope of Jebel Musa, a peak reaching 851 meters in elevation, near the Spanish enclave of Ceuta. The accident occurred about one hour after the aircraft departed from Rota Naval Air Station in Spain. At the time, the aircraft was cruising at an altitude of 800 meters under marginal weather conditions. The impact destroyed the aircraft and killed all 14 occupants on board.

Aircraft Details

The aircraft was assigned to Brunswick Air Base in Maine. It was conducting a routine transit flight from Rota NAS to Souda Bay Air Force Base in Chania, Greece. No further information regarding the aircraft's type, registration, or number of engines beyond being a four-engine design is provided in the source.

Occupants

All 14 individuals aboard the aircraft were killed in the crash. The source does not specify the identities, roles, or nationalities of the occupants.

Aftermath

The aircraft was completely destroyed upon impact. Local emergency services responded to the crash site on Jebel Musa. No additional details about the investigation or recovery operations have been released.