Air France Flight 1611

Air France Flight 1611

A Caravelle similar to the one that crashed
Accident summary
Date 11 September 1968
Summary Alleged Airliner shot down, missile attack
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
Registration F-BOHB
Flight origin Ajaccio-Campo Dell'Oro Airport
Destination Nice Côte d'Azur Airport

Air France Flight 1611 was a Sud Aviation SE-210 Caravelle III en route from the island of Corsica to Nice, France on 11 September 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] The crash, to date, retains the highest death toll of any aviation incident in the Mediterranean Sea.

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 26 November 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 10 May 2011 Michel Laty, a former army typist, alleged on French television channel TF1 that he saw a report indicating a missile, misfired by the French army during a weapon test, in fact caused the crash.[3]

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Coordinates: 43°17′07″N 7°13′25″E / 43.28528°N 7.22361°E