Pointe-Noire

En route from Pointe-Noire to Brazzaville, the crew encountered poor weather conditions. The aircraft went out of control, entered a dive and crashed in an open field located in the region of Kinkala, about 70 km southwest of Brazzaville. The aircraft was totally destroyed and all 28 occupants were killed, among them several civilians. At the time of the accident, weather conditions were poor with heavy rain falls and wind gusting to 40 knots.

For undetermined reason, the landing at Dakar-Yoff Airport was a little bit rude and the aircraft should be grounded for four days to repair the tail gear. After an uneventful fuel stop in Accra, the crew continued to Pointe-Noire but encountered poor weather conditions upon arrival. The visibility was bad and the ceiling was about 100 meters. On final approach, the aircraft was too far to the right of the centerline so the pilot in command made a sharp turn to the left when control was lost. The aircraft crashed in flames and was destroyed. All 18 occupants were killed, among them military personnel, civilians, women and children.
Crew (Groupe de Transport GT I/25 Tunisie):
Lt Cornette, pilot,
Cpt Pinson,
Asp Desgourgues,
Adj Carayol,
Sgt Escudie,
Sgt Rivaud,
Sgt Cullion.
Passengers:
Dr. Stéfanopoulo from Pasteur Institute,
Col Cordier,
Cdt Delair,
Mrs Sokoloff and her three children,
Mrs Lagrange.
Mrs Cécile Idrac 2.