Marseille-Marignane

The twin engine airplane departed Marseille-Provence Airport on a private flight to Annecy. En route, while cruising at FL110, the pilot was informed about the weather conditions at destination with a braking coefficient considered as medium due to a wet runway. After being cleared to land on runway 04, the pilot continued the approach but landed half way down the runway at a speed of 119 knots. After touchdown, he initiated the braking procedure but the airplane suffered an aquaplaning and was unable to stop within the remaining distance. It overran, impacted an embankment, went trough a fence and came to rest on a road. While both passengers aged 26 and 28 were slightly injured, the pilot aged 70 was seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed.

On April 17th, at 11:04 UTC, the aircraft turboprop Piper PA-31 Cheyenne II, registration HBLTI, private property, took off from runway 17 of the Cascais aerodrome (LPCS) bound to Marseille airport (LFML), IFR private flight, with 1 pilot and 3 passengers on board. According to several eyewitness testimonies, after takeoff, the Swiss twin-engine started to put the left wing down and consequently to turn left while climbing slowly to about 300’ feet of altitude. The left bank1 increased and the speed decreased leading the aircraft to stall. The aircraft entered a steep dive and impacted the ground next to a logistics dock of a local supermarket, located southeast of the airfield. The crash occurred 700 m from the end of the departure runway. Following the impact, the aircraft exploded and caught fire affecting a logistic dock, a house and a truck. The aircraft was destroyed by impact force and the post-collision fire, all the four occupants were killed. The driver of the truck affected by the explosion of the plane was also killed. The fuselage, wings, the engines and propellers were severely damaged by the impact force and post-impact fuel-fed fire. The structural damage to the aircraft was consistent with the application of extensive structural loads during the impact sequence, and the effects of the subsequent fire. No pre-crash structural defects were found. All aircraft parts and control surfaces were located at the site. The flaps and the landing gear were found retracted at the time of impact.

The aircraft departed Marseille-Marignane and was dispatched in an area west of Aubenas to fight a forest fire with one other Tracker, one De Havilland DHC-8 and two Canadair CL-415. After a first Tracker successfully dropped its retardant, the second Tracker approached the area when it collided with hilly terrain and crashed, bursting into flames. Both pilots were killed.
Crew:
Régis Huillier, pilot,
Albert Pouzoulet, pilot.

The aircraft departed Marseille-Marignane Airport in the afternoon and was dispatched in the area of Taradeau where a forest was on fire. Two helicopters, two others Tracker and five Canadair CL-415 were also dispatched to the same zone. The pilot was approaching the area on fire when he momentarily lost visual contact with the ground. The aircraft impacted trees and crashed, bursting into flames. The pilot escaped with minor injuries while the aircraft was destroyed by fire.

One instructor and two pilots under supervision departed Marseille-Marignane Airport on a training flight. Several scooping manoeuvres were completed on the Sainte-Croix Lake located about 85 km northeast of Marseille. While completing a new scooping procedure, the aircraft approached in a high nose attitude and disintegrated upon landing. The main wreckage sank to a depth of 31 metres off Les Salles-sur-Verdon. One pilot was found alive but seriously injured due to hypothermia (the water temperature was 6° C) while both other occupants, Jean Beauvais and Jean-Pierre Laty, were killed.

The crew departed Marseille-Marignane Airport with three other similar aircraft to conduct a training mission in the bay of La Ciotat. Following several scooping manoeuvres, the crew simulated an engine failure and then performed a complete landing when the aircraft suffered severe vibrations. The crew increased engine power in an attempt to take off when the seaplane overturned and came to rest upside down. The copilot was seriously injured while the captain was killed.

While cruising over the Rhône Valley on a flight from Dinard to Marseille, the pilot encountered engine problems and elected to make an emergency landing. The aircraft crash landed in an open field located in L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue. The pilot, sole on board, was seriously injured and the aircraft was destroyed.

On December 24, prior to departure from Algiers-Houari Boumediene Airport, four members of the Groupe Islamique Armé (GIA) hijacked the aircraft that remained parked there for two days. On December 26, the aircraft was flown to Marseille. After being parked there for few hours, the aircraft was stormed by French Police Forces. Few hand grenades exploded in the main cabin and the cockpit, causing serious damages to the aircraft. All four terrorists and three passengers were killed during the attack. Ten other people were injured.

The approach to Bucharest-Otopeni Airport was completed in poor weather conditions with a visibility reduced to 100 metres in fog. The aircraft landed slightly to the right of the runway 26L centerline, causing the right wing to struck a 60 cm high snow wall. The aircraft went out of control and eventually collided with an observation tower. All 10 occupants escaped uninjured while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

The pilot, sole on board, was engaged in a fire fighting mission in Saint-Martin-Vésubie, about 40 km north of Nice. In unclear circumstances, the twin engine airplane struck trees and crashed in a wooded area. The aircraft disintegrated on impact and the pilot was killed.
Pilot: Christian Lallement.