Agadir air disaster


The Agadir air disaster was a chartered Boeing 707 passenger flight on Sunday, August 3, 1975, that crashed into a mountain on approach to Agadir Inezgane Airport, Morocco. All 188 passengers and crew on board were killed. It is the deadliest aviation disaster involving a Boeing 707, as well as the deadliest in Morocco.

Flight

The 707, owned by Alia, was chartered by the national airline of Morocco, Royal Air Maroc, to fly 181 Moroccan workers and their families from France home for the holidays. There was heavy fog in the area and the aircraft was flying in from the northeast over the Atlas Mountains. As the 707 was descending from 8,000 feet for a runway 29 approach, its right wingtip and no. 4 engine struck a peak at altitude. Part of the wing separated. The aircraft lost control and crashed into a ravine.
Rescue teams found wreckage over a wide area. The destruction was so complete, nothing bigger than in size was found.
The cause of the crash was determined to be pilot error in not ensuring positive course guidance before beginning descent. The aircraft had not followed the usual north-south corridor generally used for flights to Agadir.