Marseille

In the early morning, the four engine aircraft departed Marseille-Marignane on a positioning flight to Aubenas-Vals-Lanas Airport, Ardeche, where the crew was briefed about a forest fire in the region of Burzet, some 15 km northwest of Aubenas. The aircraft departed Aubenas with two Canadair CL-415 and was dispatched to the area on fire under callsign 'Tanker 82'. A first drop was completed successfully and while completing a second low pass, the aircraft struck trees and crashed on hilly terrain. Two crew members were seriously injured while two others were killed.
Crew:
Ted Hobard, pilot,
Paul Trinque, copilot, †
Jo WILLIAMS, navigator, †
Ted MEYER, mechanic.

The pilot departed Bastia Airport on a flight to Marseille when he was called for a last fire fighting mission in the afternoon. While flying at low height over hilly terrain, the aircraft struck obstacles and crashed in a wooded area, bursting into flames. The pilot, sole on board, was killed.

The pilot, sole on board, was completing a ferry flight from Germany to the US via Lisbon and the Azores Islands. While cruising at FL130 off Martigues, smoke spread in the cockpit. The pilot started en emergency descent and eventually ditched the aircraft in the Gulf of Lion off Marseille. The pilot was rescued while the aircraft sank and was lost.

The crew was engaged in a fire fighting mission in Marseille. While flying at low height, the water bomber plane struck a tree and crashed in a wooded area located in the Marseilleveyre Mountain Range near the district of Pointe-Rouge, south of Marseille. The aircraft was destroyed and both occupants were killed.
Crew:
Yves Kohler, pilot,
Georges Berujeau, mechanic.

Upon landing in the Mediterranean Sea off Monaco, the seaplane apparently suffered a structural failure, broke into several parts and sank. All five occupants (the owner, his wife, a friend and two pilots) were rescued.

While cruising by night at an altitude of 20,000 feet vertical to the Sahara Desert, the airplane disintegrated in the air and crashed in a desert area located in the east part of Algeria, at the border with Libya. The crew was unable to send any distress call. The debris were scattered on a wide area between Ghadamès (Libya) and Zarzaïtine, Algeria. All 78 occupants were killed in the crash.
Crew:
Mr. Bouchier, pilot,
Mr. Best, copilot,
Mr. Baylion, navigator,
Mr. Guntz, radio operator,
Mr. Gambart de Lignières, mechanic,
Mr. Burgaut, mechanic,
Mrs. Chiapolino, stewardess,
Mr. Eichelberger, steward,
Mr. Pasqueron, steward.

The crew departed Hyères-Le Palyvestre NAS in the evening of December 1st after a distress called was received from a cargo in the Mediterranean Sea. During the night, the four engine aircraft crashed in unknown circumstances into the sea off Marseille, killing all 10 crew members.

While descending to Lyon-Bron Airport, the crew encountered poor visibility with fog. On final, the airplane was too low and hit telephone lines before crashing in a field located in Saint-Priest, about 2 km short of runway 34. The aircraft was destroyed and all three crew members were killed. Built in 1943, the aircraft has been delivered to Air France on 20 April 1953.
Crew:
Gilbert Navarri, pilot,
Léopold Bat, radio operator,
Fernand Rozet, mechanic.

Following an uneventful flight and approach, the pilot-in-command landed properly and started the braking procedure when one of the main landing gear struck a hole in the runway surface. The gear's leg broke off and the airplane came on its belly, slid for dozen yards and overran before coming to rest about 40 meters past the runway end. There were no casualties but the aircraft was considered as damaged beyond repair. Brand new, it was delivered few weeks ago.

While cruising in low visibility due to foggy conditions, the seaplane hit the slope of a mountain located in the Coirons Mountain Range, near Saint-Bauzile. All five crew members were killed.
Crew:
Charles Deschamps, pilot,
Marcel Laurière, flight engineer,
Emmanuel Marot, mechanic,
Alfred Sohn, mechanic,
Jean-Marie Legall, radio operator.