Boeing 707 crash, Mar 5, 1968 (63 killed), Mt La Soufrière
Boeing 707 accident on March 5, 1968 near Mt La Soufrière, Guadeloupe with 63 fatalities. Cause: Crew error during a night visual approach, with the...
- Date: March 5, 1968
- Aircraft: Boeing 707
- Location: Mt La Soufrière, Guadeloupe
- Fatalities: 63
- Phase of flight: Approach and landing
- Cause: Crew error during a night visual approach, with the descent begun from an incorrectly identified point; the sequence of events could not be fully established because the flight recorder was not recovered.
Air France Flight 212, a Boeing 707 on a scheduled service from Caracas toward Guadeloupe, was on a night visual approach when the crew mistook a brightly lit town for the destination airport. The aircraft descended over mountainous terrain and struck the southern slope of La Decouverte on the La Soufriere volcano. All aboard died, and the aircraft was brand new, delivered only about six weeks earlier.