Incident
Flight IT 2611, a scheduled domestic flight from Lille to Nice with an intermediate stop at Lyon, crashed in a field near Lyon/Bron airport after holding in a severe storm. The aircraft struck trees, a farmhouse roof, and a telephone pole before coming to rest in a field approximately 15 km from the airport.
Sequence of Events
The flight departed Lille at 1151 hours GMT on an IFR flight plan, with an estimated flying time of 1 hour 21 minutes to Lyon at flight level 150. Operations were normal until the descent began around 1300 hours. At 1309:50, the flight reported to Marseilles Control that it was above Tramoyes at flight level 40 and was cleared to Lyon Approach, contacting them at approximately 1310Z. The aircraft was positioned for a direct approach to runway 17.
At that time, Lyon Approach had a Caravelle ready for takeoff and requested Flight IT 2611 to hold momentarily over Tramoyes at flight level 30. The flight initially agreed but at 1313 hours reported being in a severe storm and requested descent below flight level 25. Lyon Approach then cleared the flight for a straight-in approach to runway 17, which the crew acknowledged. Subsequent calls from Lyon Approach received no reply.
Witnesses observed the aircraft flying very low in an easterly direction at approximately 1320 hours, within the heart of a storm. At 1326 hours, the aircraft was no longer visible on Satolas Control radar. The crash occurred at approximately 1319 hours at an altitude of 300 meters, 100 meters higher than the airport elevation.
Injuries and Casualties
Onboard, four occupants, including a crew member, were seriously injured; 12 other occupants were killed. Hours later, three of the survivors died from their injuries, leaving a little girl as the only survivor. The crew consisted of pilot Georges Valencia, copilot Guy Cleret-Langavant, stewardess Christiane Souleil, and stewardess Liliane Perois. At the farmhouse, a boy was seriously injured and another boy was killed.
Probable Cause
The official investigation determined that the accident resulted from exceptionally bad weather conditions in the area where the aircraft was holding at the request of Lyon Approach. The Board considered that the aircraft would probably have landed safely if it had been able to carry through the approach it had initiated. The Board did not rule out the possibility of a flash of lightning dazzling the crew and causing temporary blindness or appreciably incapacitating both crew members.