Date & Time:
Jun 4, 1947 at 2200 LT
Type of aircraft:
AAC.1 Toucan
Operator:
Registration:
F-BANB
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Postal (mail)
Survivors:
No
Site:
Mountains
Schedule:
Nice – Marseille – Lyon – Paris
MSN:
136
YOM:
1945
Country:
France
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
3
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
0
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
3
Aircraft flight hours:
1226
Circumstances:
On the leg from Nice to Marseille, the crew started the descent to Marignane Airport when the three engine aircraft hit the slope of a mountain located in the Sainte-Beaume Mountain Range, near Gémenos. A crew member was seriously injured while both other occupants were killed. Two days later, the only survivor died from his injuries. Delivered in September 5, 1945, the aircraft entered in service in June 8, 1946 only.
Crew:
Gabriel Cahouet, pilot,
Henri Decoudray, radio navigator,
Robert Salles, mechanic.
Crew:
Gabriel Cahouet, pilot,
Henri Decoudray, radio navigator,
Robert Salles, mechanic.
Probable cause:
It is believed that the crew encountered a failure of the automatic direction finder while approaching Marseille by night. While cruising in low visibility due to clouds, the crew decided to reduce his altitude in an attempt to establish a visual contact with the ground when the aircraft hit a rocky mountain and crashed in flames.
