French prosecutors are seeking to recover key wreckage from the Air France Caravelle that crashed off Nice in 1968, reviving the long-running theory that Flight 1611 may have been struck by a military missile. The aircraft was operating the Ajaccio-to-Nice service when it went down into the sea near the Côte d’Azur, killing all 95 people on board. Investigators believe salvaging major sections from about 2,300 metres underwater could help answer whether the left engine still preserves evidence of an impact.
Recent investigations and expert consultations concluded that recovery of large wreckage parts is both reasonable and feasible. Police divers located the tail section and both engines on the seabed late last year, making a recovery attempt more realistic. The case has remained sensitive in France because of suspicions that the aircraft was accidentally shot down by the military and that the episode was later obscured. Prosecutors have also examined possible suppression of documents and obstruction during the inquiry.