Date & Time:
Jun 19, 1940 at 1730 LT
Type of aircraft:
Lioré-et-Olivier LeO 45 (451-459)
Operator:
Flight Phase:
Takeoff (climb)
Flight Type:
Illegal (smuggling)
Survivors:
No
Country:
France
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
3
Pax on board:
1
Pax fatalities:
1
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
4
Circumstances:
The crew refused to be interned and wanted to continue to fight. As four LeO 45 (n°157, 169, 181 & 190) were parked at Bordeaux-Mérignac Airport, the crew stole one of them to reach the front line. One of the crew took his bicycle with him but as it was not properly stored in the cabin, it shifted rearward upon liftoff, causing the elevator system to be jammed. The pilot lost control of the airplane that crashed in a wooded area just past the runway end, bursting into flames. All four crew members were killed.
Crew:
Sgt Paul Michel Jean-Louis André, pilot,
Adj Jean Baptiste Pierre Lucien Chavy, pilot,
Sgt Jean Georges René Cavalié, mechanic.
Passenger:
Asp François Joseph Jean Jacques Ducreuzet.
Crew:
Sgt Paul Michel Jean-Louis André, pilot,
Adj Jean Baptiste Pierre Lucien Chavy, pilot,
Sgt Jean Georges René Cavalié, mechanic.
Passenger:
Asp François Joseph Jean Jacques Ducreuzet.
Probable cause:
Elevator control jammed.
