1975 Agadir Royal Air Maroc Boeing 707 crash

1975 Agadir air disaster

An Alia Boeing 707-321C similar to aircraft that crashed
Accident
Date	August 3, 1975
Summary	Controlled flight into terrain due to pilot error
Site	Agadir, Morocco
Aircraft
Aircraft type	Boeing 707-321C
Operator	Alia on behalf of Royal Air Maroc
Registration	JY-AEE
Flight origin	Le Bourget Airport, Paris
Destination	Inezgane Airport, Agadir
Occupants	188
Passengers	181
Crew	7
Fatalities	188
Survivors	0

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 (outer-right) engine struck a peak at 2,400 feet (730 m) 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 10 square feet (0.9 m²) 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.