A few days before the 58th anniversary of the Ajaccio-Nice Caravelle crash, the Nice prosecutor’s office announces an operation to recover the main parts of the wreck, including the engines. A step eagerly awaited by the families of the 95 victims.
The file on the Ajaccio-Nice Caravelle crash is experiencing a new development. A few days before the 58th anniversary of the commemorations of the disaster, the Nice prosecutor’s office announced on Monday, September 7 that an operation to recover the main parts of the aircraft was being considered.
The engines are among the elements that could be recovered. The wreck rests off the cape of Antibes, at nearly 2,000 meters deep. An underwater operation whose terms and schedule remain to be determined.
The crash occurred on September 11, 1968. Caravelle AF 1611 was operating the link between Ajaccio and Nice. The 89 passengers and six crew members lost their lives in the disaster.
For the families, this announcement comes after several decades of research and legal proceedings. “We have been waiting for 58 years, and things are only moving now when we have been demanding this recovery for years,” reacted Mathieu Paoli, president of the association of families of crash victims.
Investigations resumed since 2025
Underwater searches conducted in late 2025 made it possible to identify several parts of the wreck. The tail of the aircraft, the engines and various parts of the fuselage were notably located. These discoveries led to new expert assessments. According to the Nice prosecutor’s office, this work concluded that “there was merit in an operation to recover the main parts identified, including the engines.”
The expertise was notably based on a Caravelle preserved by an air club. The aircraft, perfectly preserved, is identical to the one involved in the investigations.
The prosecutor’s office also indicates that it has solicited several entities capable of carrying out the recovery. Initial feedback from a specialized public entity confirmed the feasibility of the operation. The duration of the operation is currently estimated at six days.
No date has yet been set. Discussions should make it possible to clarify the technical conditions and schedule. The objective stated by the prosecutor’s office is to intervene “as soon as conditions permit.” This new stage is part of the judicial investigation opened for “withholding of documents or objects concerning a crime or offense to obstruct the manifestation of truth.”
The causes of the crash remain at the heart of the investigations today. An initial investigation for involuntary manslaughter ended in 1973 with a dismissal. The theory of a fire in the toilet cabin was then retained. This conclusion was contested by the families. Another hypothesis has long been advanced, that of an accidental missile strike from the military zone of the Levant, near Hyères. Justice had requested in 2018 the lifting of the defense secrecy in order to examine this lead. Documents were subsequently transmitted by the Ministry of Armed Forces in July 2019. The families had deemed them insufficient.
The recovery of the engines could therefore provide new material evidence to an investigation that continues to seek to determine what happened on September 11, 1968 off Antibes.
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