Accident | |
---|---|
Date | 9 May 1934 |
Summary | Controlled flight into terrain |
Site | English Channel |
Aircraft | |
Aircraft type | Wibault 282T-12 |
Operator | Air France |
Registration | F-AMHP |
Flight origin | Le Bourget, Paris, France |
Destination | Croydon, Surrey, United Kingdom |
Passengers | 3 |
Crew | 3 |
Fatalities | 6 |
Survivors | 0 |
On 9 May 1934, a Wibault 282T-12 of Air France crashed into the English Channel off Dungeness, United Kingdom, while operating an international scheduled passenger flight from Le Bourget, Paris, France to Croydon, Surrey, United Kingdom. All six people on board were killed.
The accident aircraft was Wibault 282T-12 F-AMHP, c/n 8. [1] The aircraft had entered service with Air Union on 21 August 1933, passing to Air France on formation. [2]
The aircraft was operating a scheduled international passenger flight from Le Bourget Airport in Paris, France, to Croydon Airport in Surrey, United Kingdom. It carried three crew members and three passengers. The aircraft had taken off from Le Bourget at 11:15 local time (10:15 GMT) and passed over Le Tréport, Seine-Maritime at 12:10. At 12:19, a radio fix from Croydon confirmed the aircraft's position as 18+1⁄2 miles (29.8 km) west-southwest of Boulogne, Pas-de-Calais. There were no further communication received. At the time, the weather conditions included low cloud cover. [3]
At 17:20 GMT, the Folkestone lifeboat was launched with instructions to search the sea at a position 12 miles (19 km) south east by south of Dungeness, where wreckage had reportedly been sighted. The Dover lifeboat also joined the search but thick fog hindered the search. Despite their effort, no trace of the aircraft was found. The Folkestone lifeboat did not return to its station until after 22:00 GMT. The absence of an SOS call from the aircraft indicated that it had crashed into the sea while attempting to fly below the low cloud base. [3] On 18 May, a mailbag from the aircraft was washed up on the French coast. [4]
The nationalities of the casualties were:- [3]
Nationality | Crew | Passengers | Total |
---|---|---|---|
French | 2 | 2 | 4 |
British | 1 | – | 1 |
Swiss | – | 1 | 1 |
Total | 3 | 3 | 6 |
The Farman F.60 Goliath was a French airliner and bomber produced by the Farman Aviation Works from 1919. It was instrumental in the creation of early airlines and commercial routes in Europe after World War I.
The 1922 Picardie mid-air collision took place on 7 April 1922 over Picardie, France, involving British and French passenger-carrying biplanes. The midair collision occurred in foggy conditions. A British aircraft flying from Croydon to Paris with only mail on board collided with a French aircraft flying three passengers from Paris to Croydon, which resulted in seven deaths.
The Compagnie des Grands Express Aériens was a pioneering French airline established 20 March 1919 and operating until merged with Compagnie des Messageries Aériennes to form Air Union on 1 January 1923.
The Wibault 280-T was a monoplane trimotor airliner designed and produced by the French aircraft manufacturer Wibault. Designed to accommodate up to 12 passengers in its largest variant, development of the aircraft was financially backed by the Penhoët shipyards, which led to the aircraft alternatively being referred to as 'Penhoët Wibault'.
Compagnie des messageries aériennes was a pioneering French airline which was in operation from 1919–23, when it was merged with Grands Express Aériens to form Air Union.
Air Union was a French airline established on 1 January 1923, as the result of a merger between the airlines Compagnie des Messageries Aériennes and Compagnie des Grands Express Aériens. Air Union was merged with four other French airlines to become Air France on 7 October 1933.
Lympne Airport was a military and later civil airfield, at Lympne, Kent, United Kingdom, which operated from 1916 to 1984. The airfield was built out of necessity in the First World War. During the First World War RFC Lympne was originally an acceptance point for aircraft being delivered to, and returning from, France but was later designated as a First Class Landing Ground, RAF Lympne. It became a civil airfield in 1919 and saw the operation of early air mail services after the 1918 armistice. It was one of the first four airfields in the United Kingdom with customs facilities.
Hillman's Airways was a 1930s British airline which later became part of British Airways.
The October 1926 Air Union Blériot 155 crash happened on 2 October 1926 at Leigh, Kent when Blériot 155 F-AICQ caught fire in mid-air and crashed while the pilot attempted to make an emergency landing at Penshurst Airfield. Both crew members and all five passengers were killed. This was the first in-flight fire occurring on an airliner.
The August 1926 Air Union Blériot 155 crash happened on 18 August 1926 at Hurst, Kent when Blériot 155 F-AIEB of Air Union hit a barn and crashed whilst attempting to make a forced landing in bad weather. Two passengers were killed in the accident, and the pilot died a day later.
The 1930 Air Union Farman Goliath crash occurred on 10 February 1930 when a Farman F.63 Goliath of Air Union crashed whilst attempting an emergency landing at Marden Airfield, Kent following the failure of the starboard tailplane. Two of the six people on board were killed.
The 1934 Hillman's Airways de Havilland Dragon Rapide crash occurred on 2 October 1934 when a de Havilland DH.89A Dragon Rapide of Hillman's Airways crashed into the English Channel off Folkestone, Kent, killing all seven people on board. The aircraft was operating an international scheduled passenger flight from Abridge Aerodrome to Le Bourget Airport, Paris. The accident resulted in the first write-off of a Dragon Rapide.
The 1929 Imperial Airways Handley Page W.10 crash happened on 17 June 1929 when Handley Page W.10 G-EBMT suffered an engine failure and subsequently ditched in the English Channel off Dungeness with the loss of seven lives. The aircraft was operating an international scheduled flight from Croydon to Le Bourget Airport, Paris, France.
The 1947 BOAC Douglas C-47 Crash occurred on 11 January 1947 when Douglas C-47A G-AGJX of British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) crashed into a hill at Stowting, Kent, in southeast England, killing five people outright, with a further three dying from injuries received. The aircraft had been operating a scheduled international flight to West Africa via France. Poor weather caused the aircraft to attempt to divert. After attempts to land at a number of French airports, the pilot decided to return to the United Kingdom as he was running short of fuel. The aircraft crashed while attempting to land at Lympne Airport.
On 19 June 1954 a Swissair Convair CV-240 ditched off Folkestone, Kent when it ran out of fuel while crossing the English Channel. All on board survived the ditching, but three people who could not swim drowned. There were no lifejackets or water safety equipment on board, as regulations did not require them on short flights over water.
The 1933 Imperial Airways Ruysselede crash occurred on 30 December 1933 when an Imperial Airways Avro Ten collided with one of the radio masts of Belradio at Ruysselede, West Flanders, Belgium and crashed killing all ten people on board. The aircraft was operating an international scheduled passenger flight from Cologne, Germany to London, England via Brussels, Belgium.
The 1929 Luft Hansa Junkers G.24 crash occurred on 6 November 1929 when a Junkers G 24 of Luft Hansa crashed at Godstone, Surrey, United Kingdom while on an international scheduled flight from Croydon, Surrey, United Kingdom to Amsterdam-Schiphol Municipal Airport, Amsterdam, Netherlands. Of the eight people on board, Glen Kidston was the only survivor.
The August 1923 Air Union Farman Goliath crash occurred on 27 August 1923 when a Farman F.60 Goliath of Air Union crashed at East Malling, Kent, United Kingdom following an engine failure and reported panic amongst the passengers. One person was killed and nine were injured, including celebrated French actor Jean Murat.
On 29 September 1934, an Airspeed Courier of London, Scottish & Provincial Airways Ltd crashed just north of Shoreham, Kent. The aircraft was on a scheduled international passenger flight from Heston Aerodrome west of London to Le Bourget Airport, Paris. All four people on board were killed. Two people were injured by flying débris.