Date & Time:
May 13, 1948 at 1730 LT
Type of aircraft:
De Havilland DH.104 Dove
Operator:
Registration:
G-AJOU
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Charter/Taxi (Non Scheduled Revenue Flight)
Survivors:
No
Site:
Mountains
Schedule:
Croydon – Paris – Cannes
MSN:
4058
YOM:
1947
Country:
France
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
2
Pax on board:
2
Pax fatalities:
2
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
4
Circumstances:
The twin engine aircraft left Croydon in the early afternoon for Paris with eight passengers and a crew of two. Six passengers disembarked in Paris and the aircraft took off around 1530LT bound for Cannes. About two hours into the flight, the crew encountered poor weather conditions with heavy rain, turbulence and strong winds. The aircraft went out of control and crashed in a wooded area located on Mt Le Coran, near Saint-Bauzile, about 9 km southeast of Privas. A local farmer was quickly on the scene but all four occupants were killed. Rescue teams arrived the next morning.
Crew:
Peter Townsend, pilot,
Arthur Frederick Freeman, radio operator.
Passengers:
Peter Wentworth-Fitzwilliam,
Kathleen Kennedy-Cavendish, young sister of John Fitzgerald Kennedy.
Crew:
Peter Townsend, pilot,
Arthur Frederick Freeman, radio operator.
Passengers:
Peter Wentworth-Fitzwilliam,
Kathleen Kennedy-Cavendish, young sister of John Fitzgerald Kennedy.
