Saturday, 22nd of December, 1973

– Morocco

A Sobelair Sud Aviation SE-210 Caravelle VI-N, registration OO-SRD, leased to Royal Air Maroc (RAM), operating an international charter flight from Paris-Le Bourget Airport (LBG/LFPB), France, to Casablanca, Morocco with an enroute stop at Tangier-Boukhalef Airport (TNG/GMTT), Morocco, crashed into Mount Mellaline near Tétouan at 2300 feet when it started an approach to Tangier in darkness and rain.

The aircraft was completely destroyed. The seven crew members and 99 passengers perished. (106 fatalities)

The crash of OO-SRD is the second deadliest aviation accident on Moroccan soil. It is also the second deadliest accident involving the Caravelle.

– Details:

Sobelair’s Caravalle OO-SRD was leased to Royal Air Maroc on December 10, 1973. On December 22 it operated on a flight from Paris-Le Bourget Airport (LBG) to Casablanca, Morocco with an enroute stop at Tangier (TNG). The Caravelle approached Tangier in darkness and rain when the pilot extended the outbound procedural turn for runway 28 too far east, causing the plane to overfly hazardous terrain. At 22:10 the aircraft flew into the side of Mount Mellaline near Tétouan at 2300 feet.

– Cause: “It was considered possible that the aircraft had lost altitude as a result of turbulence or vertical mountain waves.”