Tonight we will look at the Caravelle Crash, 11th Septembre 1968 and the

It took off from Corsica and it never arrived in Nice, it crashed off the Cap d'Antibe killing all 95

aboard. The authorities declared a non lieu saying a fire caused the accident. But for many years the

families feel that the state and perhaps the army, without any proof at the moment are in some way implicated

in this crash.

At 10.33 the Caravelle took off from Ajaccio minutes later the plane would land in Nice Cote d'Azur airport. Whey and how should a fire have broken

out what hapened after the pilot sent his message, why the plane exploded in mid flight and not when it hit the water. Three questions

still without a reply the catastrophy caused 95 victims.

The last flight of the Caravelle F_ BOHB

In the airport of Campo delaru a walker who happened to take the last photo of the Caravelle F-HBOB.

A few minutes later it took off for Nice, but on making the approach to Nice the pilot mentions a fire,

the plane is in difficulites he mentions the inevitability of a crash.

they were his last words before the plane disappeared from the radar screens at 10.34

When the emergency services arrived off the coast of the Cote d'Antibes it was a moment of horror.

The odor of kersosene was heavy in the air 95 persons lost their life, six of them members of staff.

Only a few bodies and a few personal effects were found the pieces of the Caravelle, had sunk.

A few days later in Nice the requiem ceremonies showed the familes pain.

A dense silent crowd gathered around the Centre of Civil Protection.

Where the bodies were kept.

In Corse despite the terrible shock no one new what had caused the crase.

In Nice whilst it was made known that the right engine had been replaced three days previously

The hypothosis of a fire was mooted.

An investigation was opened and during this period of four months other Caravelles crashed for unknown reasons.

the crash in Algeria in 69, a fire in electrical system.

In a hanger in Orly, one went on fire due to the heater.

For Ajaccio-Nice the judge declared a Non-lieu, the official these was a unknown fire.

Pierre Gimart, was the radio controller who last spoke to the pilot, he confirms this liklihood of this hypothesis.

He states the pilot had not mentioned an impact or an engine on fire.

Did he not mention the word engine"no, no, no I have the start of a fire on board"

He started to descend, I suppose it was the proceedure. We were listening.

My collegue said "message received" , Did he seem panicked? Not at all!

Always with an inperturbable calm he said "I don't think I can land, I'm going to crash"

According to the journalist the airline staff seemed anguished.

An airline breguer passing even intercepted a conversation, My God the fire is gaining we will never

get to Nice.

These phrases and others are not in the official report.

A few days after the crash the doubts install amongst the population.

about the origin of the crash.

A few talked about an attempt as they had curiously found bullets in part of the toilet.

A rumour started that an error in the trajectory of a missille, attracted by the heat of the engines.

This rumour became tenacious when it was found that 11 September 68,

at the moment of the crash, military exercises were taking place.

In the Mediteranian, surveilled by Radar centre Mont Angel.

near Monaco, a team of TV journalists were there.

By chance a sound tecnician recorded a conversation in the room.

When he went to develop the recording in offices of France3 Antibe.

A colleague technician states he heard amongts the conversations.

"It has escaped us, It has escaped us"!

"We've lost it, we've lost it"!.

We were discussing what we had heard and were asking ourselves questions.

When two persons from the Renseignment Generaux (captains) came to ask for the recording and took it away.

A recoding that was seized and never figured in the final report.

For Mathieu et Louis Paoli who lost their mother and father in the catastrophy.

Its the first of many issues in an investigation they say is graving incomplete.

They believe in the idea of a missile hitting the plane.

Especially when they found a letter written by a member of the Investigating Commission.

Jean Dupont, pilot and inspector in Air France had not understood.

Why the radar films of the Caravelle had been hidden from him.

Then released some five months later and the report of hypothesis that he was studying..

amonst others was modified without his agreement.

This is exactly what he wrote "much more serious the chapter dealing with

the potential of a collision with a missile was completely changed.

In his letters that he sent at the time he says its in 1968.

His says "if anything happens to me at all, sickness or accidents

you must look to those responsible in the military authorities and the State.

This member of the Investigating Commission he felt threatened? "Oh yes, he felt threatened!

Nothing happened to Jean Dupont who died of natural causes.

But in his letters he insists in verifying the declaration made by the military.

That they had not fired missiles that day.

A surprising declaration as on that day, a team of TV journalists to RTF,

were in Mont Angel to watch aerial interception exercises, with non armed planes.

According to official declarations launches of Titan Ground to Air missiles

were planned it suffices to look at the newpapers Le provencal,

which warns people that there will be missile launches 11 September and 12th.

Curiously this information is not in the final report.

Jean Philippe who lived close to base and often climbed and walked in the area, remembers as a teenager.

"the policemen would not allow near the blockade explaining to us,

they were doing secret experiements. We knew what that meant,

as each time they were firing from Isle de Levant the technicians would install

a large machine on the roof of the building and would follow

the missile firing using this machine. We went off to play in another area.

11 Septembre 1968 Ange was in a boat with his father.

near the Cap d'Antibe he did not see the missile not the crash.

but the FBOH-B passed over his head.

It seemed ok, it was a bit bizarre because there was not normally planes there.

but we saw a hole in the body of the plane it was black, it did not go the whole way through.

Smoke was coming out of it, but the plane was flying ok, but very low.

Ange did not hear the explosion but Vitien who was playing golf that morning.

He confirms seeing the plane and a strange blue light

that came from behind the plane and hit from behind the plane

after that came an explosion that cut the Caravelle in two.

The journalists reported seeing balls of fire falling into the ocean.

These were never reported in the main investigation.

As for Etienne he said what he had seen a few times and was never interviewed by the judge, then he kept quiet

he claims that he feels guitly now

"to see 95 people die in front of you made me sick".

"I've had it on my conscience all these years". You are still emotional Etienne.

"Yes of course". Why did you not say anything?

"One always said to me "you must not say anything"

I risked ... I had a family! Did you think you would be killed by someone?

I was afraid.... afraid!

Etienne was not the only one not to talk.. at the time the voice of the State

all powerful could not be called into question. There was a

Ministry of Information which controlled the media and all information about the affair.

even controlled the official journal where the report would be published.

This fear of saying what one feared one knew was widespread.

Monsieur Laty also felt this fear and its only in 2011 that he explains for the first time,

to have transcribed a confidential military document when he was in the marines,

in a post in the Department of the Varres.

"I had to note, because I was the secretary of the captain M..Blanc of the organisation.

I had to transcribe of the investigating commission.

What happened was there was an exercies, a target airplane (drone?) passed

which was to pass the exercise was to fire on the target plane with

ground to air which was not armed. It was just to fire it.....

and then the Caravelle arrived it was the Caravelle was taken as the target...

Monsieur Laty has given a written an official written testament,

so that it can be eventually used in the legal process

Other evidence concerns the black box found in 1971 at 2000 ft depth

if the black box has not deteriorated after two years at the bottom of the sea

valuable information can be gleaned for the investigation into

the causes of this crash.

But, as it happens the report noted that the black box was not usable

and they could not find the cause of the fire.

However, today a man who lives abroad his friend, Jean Pierre, who he knew well, had analysed the tape in the black box

confessed to him in confidence "he was very reserved he would

not have told everyone"... what did he say about the black box?

He said they were found they were analysed and contrary to

what was reported there was indeed perforation of the exterior of the plane

did he employ the term missile or not? "No he did not ... one

could suppose it was a missile.

No one can tell us now where this black box is... nor indeed

the eight tonnes of wreakage found after the crash

the article in France-Soir 1971 shows that bits of the fusilage

were brought to a hanger of Aerospacial in Toulouse...

we contacted Airbus in Toulouse but also the BEA

Office of Accident Investigation in Paris, no-one knows where

the debris has gone, perhaps destroyed or lost.

One of the authors of "Secrets of State", confirms that other

pieces of wreakage were found and brought to the marine base in Toulon.

"we found incontestable documentary evidence that proves, that proves that some

pieces of wrekage were taken to Toulon in secret. We have

a witness that also confirms that these pices were taken there in 1971

Very curiously, the plane was civilian and owned by Air France

Air France would not answer our questions and by email

advised us to contact the Ministry of Defense.

The same minister has refused for some years systematically to talk to us

therefore it is impossible for us in this investigation to give

you the military version, total mute/no comment from the military

Each year on the 11 september in Nice and Ajaccio pay

homage to the 95 persons killed, for the family and friends

the pain is intact.

Marie Claude Coni lost her father in the crash, the General Coni

great survivor of concentration camps before becoming

an emblematic member of the army. In 2011 his daughter

has forgotten nothing... "nothing after a ceremony like this, I

must say that one has a lump in ones throat, very close to

those who are no longer here."there is a lot of emotion still, 43 years

after, so?" "yes, yes...."

The drama for the relatives is that there is no real grave

because nearly all the bodies were never found. So in Ajaccio and Nice

there is a memorial of metal plunging into the sea

Vivianne is here to listen to the names of the brother and sister

she lost.... 22 and 20 years they went off, there is only me

and my younger sister who have both suffered because of this.

We were a family decimated by the accident. Now I want to

know everything, everything. I explode, I want to know...

Leave the doubt, was there yes or no a missile fired or was it a fire

The families launched for more information ...

"now there are many people who are older who wish to lighten

their concience...,, I ask them, truely, you must do it..

Its for the good of 95 people but for human nature, simply.

I invite them to contact be it my uncles or the Association

for any indications that could throw light on this affair.

We ask nothing, we ask for the truth so that all this ends.. for peace

The wish to find the truth is also apparent is also evident

concerning some politicians, such as those who attended the recent commemorative ceremony.

"I think that today its not a question of taboo, our country

has its obligations. We are doing it today for the Rio de Janero

disaster which happened just a year ago. I think we have an

obligation to do it even to go back 43 years.

| have followed the affair and now I am persuaded that it was a missile

which hit this avion, from Isle de Levant, from Le Plateau d'albion..

we must not forget Le Plateau.." "What makes you say these things".

Many things, firstly the "mutism" absolute silence of the army

The obstinate quest for truth by the victims families continues...

In Cosica the Assembly is moving, posing a clear question

If there are remains of the plane in the Cap D'Antibe.

The only real way of knowing if the thesis is true or not is to

find the wreakage of the plane and verify the point of impact

Sir are you willing to ask the State to find and investigate the

remains of the Caravelle?

Yes I am in agreement to ask the authorities to find and make

every effort as has been done for the recent Air France crash from Rio.

and also to de-classify all the documents relating to the search for truth.

The government through the Minister for Justice says they have

no plans to search for the wreakage.

To protest the Corsican Assembly has mooted a subscription??

in order to find private funding to find the plane.

The operation could cost 2 million euro, confirms Michelle

Tomray a specialist in marine geology. He says that even

after 40 the rust would not have ruined the wreakage.

the technique he employs allows him to be very precise as

when he found another plane weakage in the Med..

We do a ecography underwater...we can map and we can if

the resolution is carefully chosen see great detail.

The government underlines that only a judicial decision can allow research

For many years the Association has made several attempts, in particular

a case of involuntary homicide against the Military,

All cases will run into the problem of time lapse.

One of the first things one said to me one had posed????

State Secrets on the judge.. one has never done this.

I understand that one needs to find the truth.. but one should

not have left the time pass like this.

Its often difficult to find truth in this type of case, especially

after the event. But you realise 40 years ago.. there are articles...

yes I read them with interest but I do not see a way in law

to re-open this affair. I promise you I would if I could ...

Matthieu and Louis Paoli do not still live in serenity,...

Whilst one had 95 people dead, a case full on concrete facts.

We should not talk about time lapse ... its disgraceful.

Truth, what can time do to truth, it is 40 years we have been searching

We are in mourning for 43 years and searching for truth..we will find it.

Just yesterday, the solicitors for the Association have put a

new case, and feel the case can be re-opened. If the sound recording

taken in the offices in France3 and a secretary typed a confidential

report. He then must have missed certain vital elements and this

puts into question the "time lapse".

If the judge at the time had heard these recordings, perhaps

the investigation would not have ended in a non-lieu?

The fact that obstacles were put in front of the search for truth in this affair.

The judge must look at all this and decide on this new argument

and make his decision.

Meanwhile the Paoli brothers return to the empty family tomb