A Caravelle similar to the one that crashed |
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| Accident summary | |
|---|---|
| Date | September 11, 1968 |
| Type | In-flight fire |
| Site | Mediterranean Sea |
| Passengers | 89 |
| Crew | 6 |
| Fatalities | 95 (all) |
| Survivors | 0 |
| Aircraft type | Sud Aviation SE-210 Caravelle III |
| Aircraft name | Bearn[1] |
| Operator | Air France |
| Tail number | F-BOHB |
Air France Flight 1611 was a Sud Aviation SE-210 Caravelle III en route from the island of Corsica to Nice, France on September 11, 1968 when it crashed into the Mediterranean Sea off Nice, killing all 95 on board. According to the official report, the crash was non-survivable.[2]
Among the dead was French general René Cogny.
The probable cause was attributed to a fire which originated in the rear of the cabin.
A radio programme broadcast by BBC Radio 4 on November 26, 2007 advanced the theory that the accident was the result of a missile strike or bomb, and that the true cause has been suppressed by the French Government under secrecy laws.
On May 10, 2011 Michel Laty, a former military secretary, declared on French television channel TF1 that a missile, misfired by the French army during a weapon test, in fact caused the crash.[3]
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