The 1968 Sainte-Marie Douglas DC-6 crash was an aviation accident that occurred on the island of La Réunion, a French overseas department in the southwestern Indian Ocean, on the evening of 9 March 1968. A military Douglas DC-6 aircraft taking off from Gillot Airport at 23h 15' crashed two minutes later in the commune of Sainte-Marie, Réunion, resulting in the deaths of sixteen people, including French General Charles Ailleret. This aviation accident remains the deadliest in the history of La Réunion.
A Douglas DC-6 | |
| Post-takeoff crash. | |
|---|---|
| Date | 9 March 1968 |
| Site |
|
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Douglas DC-6 |
| Flight origin | Gillot Airport |
| Occupants | 17 |
| Fatalities | 16 |
| Survivors | 1 (a Flight nurse) |
Aircraft
The 1953 Douglas DC-6B, registered as F-RAFB/43748, was operated by the Groupe de Liaisons Aériennes Ministérielles (GLAM), responsible for the transportation of French government personnel.
Disaster
Departing from Gillot at 23:00, the plane, which was originally scheduled to land in Djibouti at 11:40, crashed 55 seconds after takeoff in rainy weather. The flight was directed to turn to the left, but persisted in turning to the right.
The only survivor was General Ailleret's nurse, and the accident remains classified as defense secret and unsolved. However, a person who encountered the flight crew observed that they had been told that they would have the day off, had not expected to fly that day, had spent the day spearfishing, and were extremely tired.
In 1998, flight nurse Michèle Renard testified about this incident.
A commemoration of this accident took place in March 2018.
Notes and references
- "Crash of a Douglas DC-6B in Saint-Denis: 19 killed". Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives. Retrieved 27 December 2025.
- "9 March 1968: Hell in the Heights of Sainte-Marie". Clicanoo.re. 4 March 2018. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
- "53 ans jour pour jour : l'Accident aérien le plus important de l'histoire de la Réunion" (in French). Retrieved 29 September 2021.
- "1968: DC-6 Crash, La Réunion's Worst Air Disaster". IPReunion.com. 9 March 2017. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
- "The Sole Survivor Tells Her Story". Clicanoo.re. 14 March 1998. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
- "Commemoration of the DC6 Crash". defense.gouv.fr. 26 March 2018. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
See also
- Sainte-Marie, Réunion
- Charles Ailleret
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