On 1 September 1953 , Thibaud and 41 others died in the crash of Air France Flight 178 . The aircraft , registration F-BAZZ , was on final approach to Nice when it struck Mt Cemet in the French Alps . His 1720 Stradivarius violin was destroyed in the crash . The accident investigation established " controlled flight into terrain ( CFIT ) " as the cause
Air France Flight 178
Air France Flight 178
Jacques Thibaud