What happened
During a scheduled flight originating in Agadir and destined for Paris, an aircraft was performing an intermediate stop in Casablanca. While executing the final approach to the airport, the crew experienced unspecified technical malfunctions that led to a loss of altitude. The aircraft struck the ground approximately 2 km before reaching the threshold of runway 35. The impact resulted in the total destruction of the aircraft and caused 61 fatalities among the occupants, with an additional 21 injuries reported.
Findings
Investigations into the accident suggest that the flight crew continued their descent below the required glide path due to a series of complications. During the approach, a fire alarm associated with the right engine was triggered in the cockpit. In response to this alert, the flight engineer deactivated the power to the hydraulic pumps on the engine being shut down by the captain. This action inadvertently prevented necessary transfer operations because the power supply from the left engine had not yet been reactivated. Although the flight controls regained functionality at the moment of impact, the aircraft was already in a position where recovery by the pilot was no longer possible.