1973 Paris Air Show Tu-144 crash

1973 Paris Air Show Tu-144 crash
СССР-77102, the Tupolev Tu-144S involved in the accident, photographed May 1973, the month before the crash
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 Soviet 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. The crash ended the development program of the Tupolev Tu-144. The official inquest did not conclusively determine the cause of the accident and several theories have been proposed.