Crash of a Nord 2501 Noratlas near Prémian: 32 killed
Date & Time:
Nov 25, 1977 at 0230 LT
Operator:
Registration:
182/F-RABR
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Mont-de-Marsan - Hyères
MSN:
182
YOM:
1960
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
28
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
32
Circumstances:
At 1000LT on November 24, the airplane departed Hyères-Le Palyvestre NAS near Toulon on a flight to Mont-de-Marsan Airbase, carrying 28 passengers and a crew of four. The passengers were respectively 23 Marines from the Naval School of Saint-Mandrier, four officers and the Director of the Naval School's house. All four crew members were attached to the Groupe 3/64 Bigorre at Évreux AFB. All of them were invited at Mont-de-Marsan Airbase to assist to the final of a radiophonic tournament they lost on semi-final. At 0100LT on November 25, the airplane departed Mont-de-Marsan Airfield bound to the east. En route, the crew encountered very bad weather conditions with fog and rain falls, reducing the visibility to zero. In such conditions, the crew failed to realize his altitude was too low when the airplane passed over the hamlet of La Sicarderie at a height of 150 meters. Less than 30 seconds later, the airplane struck trees and crashed in flames in a wooded area located in the Somail Mountain Range, about 40 km northwest of Béziers. The aircraft was totally destroyed and all 32 occupants were killed.
Crew (Groupe 3/64 Bigorre from Évreux AFB):
Cpt Philippe Le Goff,
Sgt/C Robert Sonier,
Sgt/C Jean-Claude Bezanger,
Sgt/C Serge Luckel.
Passengers (accompanist officers):
Cpt Raymond Faucher,
Mrs Elisabeth Boissat, Director of the GEM House,
Ens/V Francis Coinsin,
Asp Louis Rimbaud,
M/Pr Luc Kuntz.
Passengers (Marines members of the Bagad du Groupe d’Écoles de Mécaniciens (GEM) de Saint-Mandrier):
M/Mec Pierre Nadal,
2nd M/Mec Joël Quentel,
2nd M/Mec Alain Bouydron,
QM/Mec Philippe Janin,
QM/Mec Philippe Orliac,
QM/Mec Louis Tanguy,
QM/Mec Alain Ducasse,
M/Mec Patrick Mira,
M/Mec François Chotard,
M/Mec Didier Le Goff,
M/Mec Jean-Marie Rambaud,
M/Mec Christian Dreau,
M/Mec Claude Lecoustaouec,
M/Mec Joël Jaffres,
M/Mec Guy Le Doussal,
M/Eq Jean-Marc Mule,
Mat Ben Ah-Mi,
App/Mec Alain Montas,
App/Mec Pascal Le Gall,
App/Mec Dominique Le Goff,
APP/Mec Eric Descarcin,
App/Mec Didier Terrec,
App/Mec Alain Scouarnec.
Crew (Groupe 3/64 Bigorre from Évreux AFB):
Cpt Philippe Le Goff,
Sgt/C Robert Sonier,
Sgt/C Jean-Claude Bezanger,
Sgt/C Serge Luckel.
Passengers (accompanist officers):
Cpt Raymond Faucher,
Mrs Elisabeth Boissat, Director of the GEM House,
Ens/V Francis Coinsin,
Asp Louis Rimbaud,
M/Pr Luc Kuntz.
Passengers (Marines members of the Bagad du Groupe d’Écoles de Mécaniciens (GEM) de Saint-Mandrier):
M/Mec Pierre Nadal,
2nd M/Mec Joël Quentel,
2nd M/Mec Alain Bouydron,
QM/Mec Philippe Janin,
QM/Mec Philippe Orliac,
QM/Mec Louis Tanguy,
QM/Mec Alain Ducasse,
M/Mec Patrick Mira,
M/Mec François Chotard,
M/Mec Didier Le Goff,
M/Mec Jean-Marie Rambaud,
M/Mec Christian Dreau,
M/Mec Claude Lecoustaouec,
M/Mec Joël Jaffres,
M/Mec Guy Le Doussal,
M/Eq Jean-Marc Mule,
Mat Ben Ah-Mi,
App/Mec Alain Montas,
App/Mec Pascal Le Gall,
App/Mec Dominique Le Goff,
APP/Mec Eric Descarcin,
App/Mec Didier Terrec,
App/Mec Alain Scouarnec.
Probable cause:
The exact cause of the accident could not be determined with certainty but the assumption that the autopilot system failed in flight was not ruled out.
