Date & Time:
Jan 24, 1940 at 1400 LT
Type of aircraft:
Lioré-et-Olivier LeO 45 (451-459)
Operator:
Registration:
L-619
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Training
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Nantes - Nantes
MSN:
83
YOM:
1939
Country:
France
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
4
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
0
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
4
Circumstances:
The airplane departed Nantes Airport on an endurance mission on behalf of the Société Nationale de Construction Aéronautique de l’Ouest (SNCAO), carrying five crew members. Few minutes after takeoff, a blue smoke spread in the cabin and a fire erupted, coming apparently from a tank in the rear of the airplane. The captain decided to return for an emergency landing. On final, at an altitude of 200 metres, one of the crew member was able to bail out when the aircraft nosed down and crashed in a field located one km from the runway, bursting into flames. The crew who bailed out was slightly injured while four other occupants were killed, among them three engineers from SNCAO.
Crew:
Mr. Charles Bollon de Clavière, pilot, †
Mr. Gabriel Monteau, mechanic, †
Mr. André Dufour, mechanic, †
Sgt Louis Porchaire, radio operator, †
Sgt/C Goblet.
Crew:
Mr. Charles Bollon de Clavière, pilot, †
Mr. Gabriel Monteau, mechanic, †
Mr. André Dufour, mechanic, †
Sgt Louis Porchaire, radio operator, †
Sgt/C Goblet.
Probable cause:
In-flight fire for unknown reasons.
