1973 Nantes mid-air collision
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 5 March 1973 |
| Summary | Mid-air collision caused by ATC error |
| Site | Nantes, France 47°00′58″N 1°26′03″W / 47.0161°N 1.4343°W |
| Total fatalities | 68 |
| Total survivors | 107 |
| First aircraft | |
| EC-BII, the Iberia McDonnell Douglas DC-9 involved in the accident, pictured in 1972 | |
| Type | McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32 |
| Operator | Iberia |
| IATA flight No. | IB504 |
| ICAO flight No. | IBE504 |
| Call sign | IBERIA 504 |
| Registration | EC-BII |
| Flight origin | Palma de Mallorca Airport |
| Destination | London Heathow |
| Occupants | 68 |
| Passengers | 61 |
| Crew | 7 |
| Fatalities | 68 |
| Survivors | 0 |
| Second aircraft | |
| EC-BJC, the Spantax Convair 990 involved in the accident, pictured in 1969 | |
| Type | Convair 990 Coronado |
| Operator | Spantax |
| IATA flight No. | BX400 |
| ICAO flight No. | BXS400 |
| Call sign | SPANTAX 400 |
| Registration | EC-BJC |
| Flight origin | Madrid-Barajas Airport |
| Destination | London Gatwick |
| Occupants | 107 |
| Passengers | 99 |
| Crew | 8 |
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Survivors | 107 |
The 1973 Nantes mid-air collision occurred when two Spanish airliners travelling to London hit each other over Nantes, France, on 5 March 1973. They were an Iberia McDonnell Douglas DC-9 flying from Palma de Mallorca and a Spantax Convair 990 from Madrid. All 68 people on board the DC-9 were killed. The CV-990 was able to make a successful emergency landing at Cognac – Châteaubernard Air Base.