Air France Flight 007

Air France Flight 007

An Air France Boeing 707-328 similar to the one involved
Accident summary
Date	June 3, 1962
Summary	Rejected takeoff due to mechanical failure
Site	Orly Airport, Paris, France
Passengers	122
Crew	10
Fatalities	130
Injuries (non-fatal)	2
Survivors	2
Aircraft type	Boeing 707-328
Aircraft name	Chateau de Sully
Operator	Air France
Registration	F-BHSM
Flight origin	Paris-Orly Airport
1st stopover	Idlewild Airport
2nd stopover	Atlanta Municipal Airport
Destination	Houston Municipal Airport

Coordinates: 48°43′N 2°22′E / 48.72°N 2.37°E / 48.72; 2.37

Air France Flight 007, a charter flight carrying the elite of Atlanta, Georgia's arts community, crashed on June 3, 1962 while attempting to depart Paris's Orly Airport. The 707 carried 122 passengers and 10 crew and only two survived. The crash was at the time the worst single-aircraft disaster, the first single civilian jet airliner disaster with more than 100 deaths, and the second deadliest aviation disaster in history.

According to witnesses, during the takeoff roll on runway 8, the nose of Flight 007 lifted off the runway, but the main landing gear remained on the ground. Even though the aircraft had already exceeded the maximum speed at which the takeoff could be safely aborted within the remaining runway length, the flight crew had no other choice and attempted to abort the take off.

With less than 3,000 feet (910 m) of runway remaining, the pilots used wheel brakes and reverse thrust to attempt to stop the 707. They braked so hard they destroyed the main landing gear tires and wheels, but the aircraft ran off the end of the runway. The left undercarriage failed and a fire broke out. Three flight attendants initially survived the disaster. Two attendants seated in the back of the cabin survived, but the third died in the hospital. At the time, it was the world's worst air disaster involving one aircraft.