General Leclerc's aviation accident

General Leclerc's aviation accident
An American B-25
Accident
Date28 November 1947 (1947-11-28)
SiteNear Colomb-Béchar (Saharan Algeria)
32°07′54″N 2°19′19″W / 32.131632°N 2.321962°W / 32.131632; -2.321962
Aircraft
Aircraft typeNorth American B-25 Mitchell
Aircraft nameTailly 2
Flight originLa Sénia Aerodrome
DestinationColomb-Béchar Airport
Occupants13
Passengers9
Crew4
Fatalities13
Survivors0

General Leclerc's aviation accident (French: Accident de l'avion du général Leclerc) took place on 28 November 1947 near the city of Colomb-Béchar in the western Sahara, then in French Algeria.

The B-25 Mitchell bomber, named Tailly 2 and converted into an official aircraft for General Leclerc, crashed around noon on the Mediterranean-Niger railway line, about fifty kilometers north of Colomb-Béchar airport, which it was attempting to reach. All twelve passengers and crew members including Leclerc were killed instantly. A thirteenth unidentified body was found in the wreckage, leading to controversy regarding the causes of the accident.