General Leclerc's aviation accident

General Leclerc's aviation accident
Accident de l'avion du général Leclerc
An American B-25
Accident
Date28 November 1947 (1947-11-28)
SummaryGround impact during marginal weather conditions
Site
Aircraft
Aircraft typeNorth American B-25 Mitchell
Aircraft nameTailly II
OperatorFrench Air Force
RegistrationF-SCCX (formerly USAAF 41-30330)
Flight originLa Sénia Aerodrome, Es Sénia, French Algeria
DestinationColomb-Béchar Airport, Colomb-Béchar, French Algeria
Occupants13
Passengers9 (8 known, 1 unknown)
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.

A B-25 Mitchell medium bomber operated by the French Air Force, named Tailly II and converted into an official aircraft for General Leclerc, crashed around noon near the Mediterranean–Niger Railway, about 50 kilometres (31 mi) north of Colomb-Béchar Airport, which it was attempting to reach. The four crew members and eight passengers, including Leclerc, were killed instantly. A 13th unidentified body was found in the wreckage, leading to controversy regarding the causes of the accident.