FLIGHT FINDINGSAVIATION OCCURRENCE MAP
Back to map

1972 Moroccan coup attempt

16 Aug 1972 · Over Tétouan, Morocco

Royal Air Maroc Boeing 727-2B6 · Attempted assassination

From Paris-Le Bourget International Airport (LBG) to Rabat-Salé Airport (RBA)

Report a problem

Event

Event typeAccident: someone killed or seriously injured, or the aircraft substantially damaged (NTSB definition). Incident: an occurrence that affected or could have affected safety, short of that. Glossary
Incident
Event fatalities
8 · all aircraft and ground
Ground fatalities
Unknown
Occupants
Unknown
Survivors
Unknown
InjuriesFatal: death within 30 days. Serious: over 48 hours in hospital within a week, most broken bones, severe bleeding, nerve or organ damage, or serious burns. Minor: anything less. Glossary
40
OperationWhat kind of flying it was, grouped by the rules it flew under: airline (US Part 121), air taxi and commuter (Part 135), general aviation (Part 91 and similar), military or government. Glossary
Airline

Boeing 727-2B6

Aircraft type
Boeing 727
Category
Airplane · from aircraft type
RegistrationThe aircraft's tail number, such as N12345 or G-ABCD. Registrations are reissued, so the same one years apart can be a different aircraft. Glossary
CN-CCG
Onboard fatalities
8
Route
From Paris-Le Bourget International Airport (LBG)To Rabat-Salé Airport (RBA)

Approximate · Estimated position: Tétouan, near the place the Wikipedia article names. Not the accident site.

From the Wikipedia article

The 1972 Moroccan coup attempt was an unsuccessful attempt to assassinate King Hassan II of Morocco on 16 August 1972. The attempted coup d'état occurred in Morocco when a rebel faction within the Moroccan military attempted to shoot down an aircraft carrying the King of Morocco. The attempt was orchestrated by General Mohamed Oufkir, a close advisor to King Hassan, and Colonel Mohamed Amekrane, commander of the Kenitra Air Base. On 16 August 6 Northrop F-5 jets, acting on General Oufkir's orders, intercepted King Hassan's Boeing 727 as it returned from France. Reportedly, King Hassan grabbed the radio and told the rebel pilots, "Stop firing! The tyrant is dead!" Fooled, the rebel pilots broke off their attack, believing that their mission had been accomplished.

Eight passengers on the royal jet were killed and forty injured, but the jet was able to land safely at Rabat–Salé Airport.

Background

The coup occurred a year after another attempted military coup against King Hassan II's regime. Two hundred and fifty rebels based in the Ahermoumou cadet training school attacked the King's palace on his 42nd birthday, killing 91 people and injuring 133. Oufkir had gained power after the coup in 1971, moving from the Minister of Interior to Minister of Defence. Many had believed he planned the first coup to facilitate this rise.

Text from the Wikipedia article “1972 Moroccan coup attempt” (revision 1370279650, retrieved 2026-09-18) by its authors, under CC BY-SA 4.0. Extracted as plain text: references, tables, images and some sections are left out. Read the article

Sources

Wikipedia article: 1972 Moroccan coup attempt
Article
1972 Moroccan coup attempt
Revision
1370279650 · 2026-08-20 · retrieved 2026-09-18
Wikidata
Q742728
Licence
Text CC BY-SA 4.0, by the article's authors; Wikidata CC0; town positions GeoNames (CC BY 4.0)
Where each value comes from
Record
Wikipedia article "1972 Moroccan coup attempt" (page 24149685, revision 1370279650)
Date
Wikipedia infobox: date
Place and country
Wikipedia infobox: site
Map position
place the Wikipedia infobox site links (Wikidata coordinates)
Aircraft, operator and route
Wikipedia infobox: aircraft type, registration, operator, origin and destination; route airports from the linked airport articles' Wikidata codes (OurAirports)
Operation
operator is an airline according to Wikidata
Fatalities
Wikipedia infobox: aircraft fatalities
Ground fatalities
not stated in the Wikipedia infobox
Summary
Wikipedia infobox: summary
Source notes (1)
  • Wikipedia · Facts from the Wikipedia article's infobox and coordinates, not checked against an investigation report. Independent review pending.