1973 Paris Air Show Tu-144 crash

1973 Paris Air Show Tu-144 crash
СССР-77102, the Tu-144S involved in the accident, seen at the 1973 Paris Air Show, the day before the accident
Accident
Date3 June 1973
SummaryCrashed after in-flight structural failure
SiteGoussainville, Val-d'Oise
49°01′33″N 2°28′28″E / 49.02583°N 2.47444°E / 49.02583; 2.47444
Total fatalities14
Total injuries60
Aircraft
Aircraft typeTupolev Tu-144S
OperatorAeroflot
RegistrationСССР-77102
Flight originParis–Le Bourget Airport
DestinationParis–Le Bourget Airport
Occupants6
Crew6
Fatalities6
Survivors0
Ground casualties
Ground fatalities8
Ground injuries60

The 1973 Paris Air Show Tu-144 crash of Sunday 3 June 1973 destroyed the second production model of the Russian supersonic Tupolev Tu-144. The aircraft disintegrated in the air while performing extreme manoeuvres and fell on the town of Goussainville, Val-d'Oise, France, killing all six crew members and eight people on the ground.[1][2][3] The crash ended the development program of the Tupolev Tu-144.[4] The official inquest did not conclusively determine the cause of the accident and several theories have been proposed.

  1. ^ "Russian SST crashes". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington, U.S.). Associated Press. 4 June 1973. p. 1.
  2. ^ "Soviet SST crash kills 14". Milwaukee Sentinel. (Wisconsin, U.S.). UPI. 4 June 1973. p. 1.[permanent dead link]
  3. ^ "15 killed as Russia's Concorde explodes". Glasgow Herald. 4 June 1973. p. 1.
  4. ^ " Crash of the Tupolev 144 on 3 June 1973 video." ORTF, 8:00 p.m. news broadcasting, 3 June 1973, on the INA website , ina.fr.