59 Years ago today: On 22 June 1962 an Air France Boeing 707-328 crashed near Pointe a Pitre, Guadeloupe; killing all 112 occupants.
| Date: | Friday 22 June 1962 |
| Time: | 04:03 |
| Type: | Boeing 707-328 |
| Operator: | Air France |
| Registration: | F-BHST |
| MSN: | 18247/274 |
| First flight: | 1962-02-23 (4 months) |
| Engines: | 4 Pratt & Whitney JT4A- |
| Crew: | Fatalities: 10 / Occupants: 10 |
| Passengers: | Fatalities: 103 / Occupants: 103 |
| Total: | Fatalities: 113 / Occupants: 113 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Aircraft fate: | Written off (damaged beyond repair) |
| Location: | 25 km (15.6 mls) WNW of Pointe-à-Pitre-Le Raizet Airport (PTP) ( |
| Crash site elevation: | 427 m (1401 feet) amsl |
| Phase: | Approach (APR) |
| Nature: | International Scheduled Passenger |
| Departure airport: | Santa Maria-Vila do Porto Airport, Azores (SMA/LPAZ), Portugal |
| Destination airport: | Pointe-à-Pitre-Le Raizet Airport (PTP/TFFR), Guadeloupe |
| Flightnumber: | AF117 |
Narrative:
A Boeing 707-328, operated by Air France, was destroyed when it crashed into a hillside near Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe. All 113 on board were killed.
The aircraft, named “Chateau de Chantilly”, operated flight 117 from Paris-Orly (France) to Santiago (Chile) with en route stops at Lisbon (Portugal), Santa Maria (Azores), Pointe-à-Pitre (Guadeloupe), Caracas (Venezuela), Bogotá (Colombia) and Lima (Peru).The VOR at Le Raizet Airport was unserviceable when the flight approached Guadeloupe at night. Weather conditions were poor; a violent thunderstorm existed in the area and visibility was 10 km and a ceiling of 1000 feet within the squall. The crew reported over the NDB at 5000 feet and carried out a turn back towards the east to begin its final approach. Incorrect ADF indications, as a result of the thunderstorm, caused the plane to stray 15 km off the procedural let-down track. The Boeing 707 then crashed into a forest on a hill at an altitude of about 1400 feet.
Probable Cause:
PROBABLE CAUSE: 1) Breakdown of the VOR; 2) insufficient meteorological information given to the crew; 3) the atmospheric effects on the ADF indicator.
