Have you seen how this Air Algerie Caravelle looked after a mid-air collision?

On 16 May 1960, an Air Algerie Caravelle and a Stampe biplane were involved in a mid-air collision. This occurred on approach to Paris Orly airport, at a height of about 3,400 feet. The Stampe was from the University Aeronautical Club of Chelles-les-Pins, and unfortunately the pilot died, with his body being discovered in a wood.

In spite of extensive damage, the Caravelle was able to land safely. What is remarkable about this accident is the amount of damage the passenger jet suffered. The fact it didn’t fall out of the sky is very lucky indeed.

The Accident

When the collision occurred, the roof of the Caravelle was torn open and the engine of the Stampe landed in the cabin, killing one passenger. Another 16 passengers were injured during the event.

At the same time, both of the jet’s engines failed due to debris ingestion. One of the wheels of the biplane lodged in the intake of one engine, causing it to fail. The tail parachute was also released.

Luckily the Flight Engineer on the Caravelle was able to re-start both engines, though one didn’t produce as much power as the other. The aircraft then completed its approach and landed safely.

It must have been white knuckle time on board during the remainder of the approach to land. Not something you’d really want to go through at all.

Air Algerie Caravelle accident video

There is a video running for one and a half minutes that shows all the damage to the aircraft. Taken in a hangar post-flight, it really shows just how bad things were.

Astonishing are the shots inside the cabin with the engine from the biplane sitting in the aisle. There is a lot of damage all over the Caravelle, which is not at all surprising.

Overall Thoughts

The Air Algerie Caravelle mid-air collision is one I was unaware of. It really shows just how well built the Sud-Aviation Caravelle was at the time.

I’m sure the fact the aircraft weren’t higher also helped. An explosive decompression at higher altitude would probably have caused much more extensive damage – though it certainly was bad enough as it was.

Were you aware of this accident before? What do you think of the pics and video? Thank you for reading and if you have any comments or questions, please leave them below.

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Featured image by Christian Volpati via Wikimedia Commons.
Other images via X.