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.

Having departed on 26 November 1947 from Villacoublay, in the Paris suburbs, for an inspection tour in North Africa, General Leclerc spent the afternoon of the 26th and the day of the 27th in the Arzew - La Macta region on the coast, east of Oran, to attend an interservice maneuver.

[1] The aircraft was to take him to Colomb-Béchar, a town located 200 km south of Oran, near the border with Morocco, where he was to spend the day.

[1] After fifteen minutes of flight, the radio operator asked Béchar for an update on the weather conditions and received a Morse code response: "Light intermittent rain, visibility six to ten kilometers.

An hour later, as rumors of an accident began to spread in Colomb-Béchar, a column of the 1st Saharan company of the Legion led by Lieutenant-Colonel Dudezert[1] set out northward, following the railway line.

All victims had been decapitated upon impact with the ground, so the trunks were identified based on uniforms, ranks, and personal papers.

General Leclerc's body was identified by his partially burned wallet, signet ring, and a piece of his cane.

The official report concluded that the crash was due to the recklessness of pilot François Delluc, despite his experience and extremely distinguished service record,[Note 4] and the persistence of General Leclerc, who ignored the unfavorable weather conditions.

Jean-Christophe Notin demonstrated in his book that the American-made B-25 had been dangerously modified by the French Air Force by adding a bunk at the rear, which may have caused a counterbalance and led to the crash, especially since the aircraft was known to tip backward at low speeds.

A thirteenth body, wearing an Air Force uniform with the rank of lieutenant, was found mutilated in the wreckage of the aircraft and has never been identified.