Ground accident of a Handley Page H.P.70 Halifax VIII in Paris

Date & Time: Dec 28, 1949
Operator:
Registration:
G-AIHY
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
MSN:
1325
YOM:
1946
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
Suffered a ground accident while taxiing in Paris-Le Bourget. There were no casualties.

Crash of a Douglas C-47A-60-DL in Aulnay-sous-Bois: 8 killed

Date & Time: Dec 18, 1949 at 2030 LT
Operator:
Registration:
OO-AUQ
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Paris – Brussels
MSN:
10241
YOM:
1943
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
4
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
8
Circumstances:
Shortly after takeoff from Paris-Le Bourget Airport, while climbing, the aircraft went out of control and crashed onto a house located in Aulnay-sous-Bois, about 4 km southeast of the airfield. All eight occupants were killed while there were no casualties on the ground. It appears that control was lost following the failure of a wing.

Crash of a Douglas C-54A-15-DC Skymaster in Saint-Just-Chaleyssin: 5 killed

Date & Time: Nov 29, 1949 at 1645 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
F-BELO
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Paris – Lyon – Tunis
MSN:
10391
YOM:
1944
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
33
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
5
Circumstances:
On approach to Lyon-Bron Airport, the crew encountered poor weather conditions with fog. On final, the pilot in command descended to low when the aircraft hit a chestnut tree, overturned and crashed in flames in a field located in Saint-Just-Chaleyssin, about 15 km from runway 34 threshold. The aircraft was destroyed by a post crash fire and five people were killed, three crew members and two passengers.
Crew killed were:
Louis Villeval, pilot,
Pierre Vire, radio navigator,
Jean-Maurice Dauget, mechanic.
Passengers killed were:
Mr. & Mrs. Haick.

Crash of a Sud-Est SE.161 Languedoc in Nice

Date & Time: Apr 9, 1949
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
F-BATU
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Paris – Nice
MSN:
23
YOM:
1945
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
30
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
After touchdown, the four engine aircraft was unable to stop within the remaining distance, overran and eventually collided with a concrete wall. The aircraft was damaged beyond repair while all 35 occupants were uninjured.

Crash of a Vickers 628 Viking 1B off Barsebäck: 27 killed

Date & Time: Feb 8, 1949 at 1956 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
OY-DLU
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Madrid – Paris – Copenhagen
MSN:
199
YOM:
1947
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
23
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
27
Aircraft flight hours:
611
Circumstances:
The aircraft christened 'Torlak Viking' was performing a charter flight from Madrid to Copenhagen with an intermediate stop in Paris, carrying 23 Spanish tourists. The crew left Paris-Le Bourget Airport at 1610LT and started the descent to Copenhagen-Kastrup Airport at 1845LT. Sixteen minutes later, at 1901LT, ATC informed the crew that the airport just closed to all traffic due to poor weather conditions and the captain was advised to divert or to Aalborg or to Göteborg. The captain preferred to stack for several minutes vertical to the airport and at 1931LT, he was number one and received the permission to start an approach to runway 22 maintaining a minimum safe altitude of 1,000 feet. Seven minutes before the ETA, while at an altitude estimated between 700 and 800 feet, the twin engine aircraft went out of control and crashed into the Øresund, about 18 km northeast of Kastrup Airport. SAR operations were conducted but were eventually suspended few days later as no trace of the aircraft nor the 27 occupants was found. A month later, the wreckage was found at a depth of 23 meters about two km off Barsebäck, Sweden. Transferred from DDL to SAS on August 1st, 1948, the aircraft was repainted in SAS colors shortly later.
Probable cause:
The exact cause of the loss of control remains unknown.

Crash of a Douglas C-47-DL in Paris

Date & Time: Nov 20, 1948
Operator:
Registration:
ZS-BWX
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Johannesburg – Wadi Halfa – Khartoum – Nice – Paris – London
MSN:
4254
YOM:
1941
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
9
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
While descending to Paris-Le Bourget Airport, the pilot was instructed by ATC to divert to Orly Airport as a landing in Le Bourget was impossible due to the low visibility caused by mist. While approaching Paris-Orly Airport, the crew was forced to abandon the approach due to foggy conditions and made a go around. Then three other attempts to land were also aborted. During the fifth attempt, the pilot reduced his altitude, probably to establish a visual contact with the ground, when the aircraft hit a electric pylon and crashed on a generator located near the runway threshold. The aircraft was destroyed and all 14 occupants were injured, some of them seriously.

Crash of a Beechcraft C-45 Expeditor off Dieppe: 8 killed

Date & Time: Nov 8, 1948 at 1739 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
F-BGAF
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Paris – Croydon
MSN:
6336
YOM:
1944
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
6
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
8
Captain / Total flying hours:
3000
Circumstances:
Due to a strike by Air France, all flights from Paris to London were cancelled and the Ice Hockey National Team of Czechoslovakia was grounded in Paris. As the team should fly to London to take part to a tournament, it was decided that few players rent a plane by Mercure Taxis Aériens. The founder and Chief Pilot of this company disagreed to do the flight due to poor weather conditions above The Channel but was finally convinced to fly to London. The twin engine aircraft left Paris-Le Bourget at 1638 bound for Croydon. About an hour later, while flying over The Channel, the crew encountered poor weather conditions (mist) and maybe, the pilot elected to return to Paris or to divert to Cherbourg when the aircraft went out of control and crashed into the sea off Dieppe. As the aircraft failed to arrive in Croydon, SAR operations were conducted but eventually suspended few days later as no trace of the aircraft nor the eight occupants was found. A year later, human remains were found on a beach and analysis suggest that they belonged to the pilot.
Crew:
René de Narbonne, pilot 1.
Passengers:
Ladislav Trojak,
Karel Stibor,
Zdenek Svarc,
Vilibald Sorrel,
Miloslav Pokorny,
Zdeněk Jarkovský.

Crash of a Sud-Est SE.161 Languedoc in Paris-Le Bourget

Date & Time: Aug 29, 1948
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
F-BATO
Survivors:
Yes
MSN:
32
YOM:
1948
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
0
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
The four engine aircraft suffered an accident in Paris-Le Bourget Airport. There were no casualties.

Crash of a Handley Page H.P.70 Halifax VIII in Aubervilliers

Date & Time: Jul 27, 1948
Registration:
F-BCJQ
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
MSN:
1392
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
Shortly after takeoff from Paris-Le Bourget Airport, the four engine aircraft christened 'Keroual' crashed in unknown circumstances in Aubervilliers, south of the airport. All three crew members were slightly injured while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Crash of a Handley Page H.P.70 Halifax VIII in Paris

Date & Time: May 20, 1948
Registration:
F-BCJT
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
MSN:
1393
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
Crash landed. No injuries.