Compagnie des Grands Express Aériens - CGEA

Farman F.60 Goliath

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: Jean Mire, pilot Mr. Simonet, mechanic Passengers: Mr Bouriez, engineer by CGEA, Mr & Mrs Christopher Bruce Yule, American citizens who were on honeymoon and travelling back to the US via London.