Crash of a Breguet 14 in Fez: 1 killed

Date & Time: Dec 3, 1922
Type of aircraft:
Breguet 14
Operator:
Registration:
F-ALNA
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Postal (mail)
Survivors:
No
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Toulouse - Barcelona - Valencia - Alicante - Málaga - Rabat
MSN:
14
YOM:
1920
Location:
Fez
Fès-Boulemane
Country:
Morocco
Region:
Africa
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
1
Circumstances:
The pilot Alphonse Gensollen was performing a flight between France and Argentina. While cruising in the region of Fez, he encountered low visibility due to foggy conditions. He reduced his altitude to maintain a visual contact with the ground when the aircraft collided with trees and crashed on a hill. The pilot was killed.

Crash of a De Havilland DH.4 in Indianapolis: 1 killed

Date & Time: Sep 7, 1922
Type of aircraft:
De Havilland DH.4
Operator:
Registration:
227
Flight Phase:
Takeoff (climb)
Flight Type:
Postal (mail)
Survivors:
No
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
Schedule:
Indianapolis – Cleveland
Location:
Indianapolis
Indiana
Country:
United States of America
Region:
North America
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
1
Circumstances:
After takeoff, while climbing to a height of 200 feet, the pilot initiated a sharp turn when the airplane entered a dive and crashed. The pilot, sole on board, was killed.

Crash of a Breguet 14 in Saint-Génis-des-Fontaines

Date & Time: May 8, 1922
Type of aircraft:
Breguet 14
Operator:
Registration:
F-ALFU
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Postal (mail)
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Perpignan – Barcelona
MSN:
3641/126
YOM:
1922
Location:
Saint-Génis-des-Fontaines
Pyrénées-Orientales
Country:
France
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
En route from Perpignan to Barcelona, the crew encountered an unexpected situation and was forced to make an emergency landing. The aircraft hit a tree and crashed in Saint-Génis-des-Fontaines. Both occupants escaped uninjured and the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Crash of an Avro 504K in Newport: 1 killed

Date & Time: May 6, 1922
Type of aircraft:
Avro 504
Operator:
Registration:
G-EBCL
Flight Phase:
Takeoff (climb)
Flight Type:
Postal (mail)
Survivors:
No
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
MSN:
E9227
YOM:
1922
Location:
Newport
Isle of Wight
Country:
United Kingdom
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
1
Circumstances:
Crashed on takeoff, killing the pilot, sole on board.

Crash of a Breguet 14 in Marbella

Date & Time: May 5, 1922
Type of aircraft:
Breguet 14
Operator:
Registration:
F-ALGU
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Postal (mail)
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Alicante - Casablanca
MSN:
127
YOM:
1922
Location:
Marbella
Andalusia
Country:
Spain
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
The pilot was forced to make an emergency landing in Marbella. While both members crew escaped uninjured, the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Crash of a De Havilland DH.18A in Thieuloy-Saint-Antoine: 2 killed

Date & Time: Apr 7, 1922 at 1400 LT
Type of aircraft:
De Havilland DH.18
Operator:
Registration:
G-EAWO
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Postal (mail)
Survivors:
No
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Croydon - Paris
MSN:
DH.18/04
YOM:
1921
Location:
Thieuloy-Saint-Antoine
Oise
Country:
France
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
2
Circumstances:
The aircraft was completing a regular schedule flight from Paris-Le Bourget to Croydon with three passengers and a crew of two on board. While cruising at a height of 500 feet in foggy conditions, the aircraft collided with a De Havilland DH.18A operated by Daimler Airway and registered G-EAWO. It appears that the DH.18 hit the upper left wing of the Farman which detached. Both aircraft crashed in an open field (a piece of wing crashed on the roof of a house) and were destroyed. While the British pilot was seriously injured, all other six occupants were killed. The only survivor died from his injuries few hours later. The collision occurred in Thieuloy-Saint-Antoine, some four km south of Grandvilliers and 27 km north of Beauvais, Oise. At the time of the accident, the visibility was reduced due to fog. First collision in commercial aviation history.
Crew:
Robin E. Duke, pilot
Edward Hesterman, steward.
Probable cause:
Both crews were apparently trying to maintain visual contact with the ground while flying under a low overcast, and must have simply failed to see each other in time to prevent the accident. It was also reported that G-EAWO had been slightly to the left of the proper course, maybe due to the inexperience of the pilot on this line. Priority rules should be the same in aviation as on the road but in the present case, experts confirmed these rules were not the same in UK and France. So new priority rules will come into force following this tragic event.

Crash of a Breguet 14 in Algemesí

Date & Time: Nov 8, 1921
Type of aircraft:
Breguet 14
Operator:
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Postal (mail)
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Plain, Valley
Location:
Algemesí
Valencian Community
Country:
Spain
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
En route, the pilot encountered technical problems and elected to make an emergency landing in Algemesí, some 30 km south of Valencia. While the aircraft was damaged beyond repair, the pilot escaped with minor injuries.

Crash of a Fokker F3 in Rotterdam

Date & Time: Oct 26, 1921
Type of aircraft:
Fokker F3
Operator:
Registration:
H-NABL
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Postal (mail)
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
Schedule:
Croydon - Rotterdam
MSN:
1533
YOM:
1921
Location:
Waalhaven (Rotterdam)
South Holland
Country:
Netherlands
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
The pilot was performing a night mail flight from Rotterdam to Croydon. While flying over The Channel, the pilot encountered foggy conditions and decided to return to Rotterdam. On approach to Waalhaven, the aircraft impacted ground and came to rest. The pilot was uninjured and the aircraft was damaged beyond repair. It was rebuilt with another MSN 1530 and registration H-NABR.
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