Sécurité civile française

Grumman S-2 Tracker

The aircraft departed Marseille-Marignane and was dispatched in an area west of Aubenas to fight a forest fire with one other Tracker, one De Havilland DHC-8 and two Canadair CL-415. After a first Tracker successfully dropped its retardant, the second Tracker approached the area when it collided with hilly terrain and crashed, bursting into flames. Both pilots were killed. Crew: Régis Huillier, pilot, Albert Pouzoulet, pilot.

Canadair CL-415

After take-off from Ajaccio Airport and a first scooping, the fleet composed of three planes with respective callsigns Pelican 44, Pelican 36 and Pelican 37 intervened on a fire at Piétramaggiore, near Calvi, Corsica, France. A first sector of the fire zone was treated by six passes. During the two following passages, the fleet dropped on another sector of the fire. Pelican 36 began its last scooping in the Gulf of Revellata at heading 250°, three minutes and fourteen seconds before the accident. At the end, it gained height and continued the circuit to arrive on the drop axis. The "doubling" action consists of releasing the water load at the precise location of the previous aircraft's release. During the last turn, it reached an altitude of 2,160 feet. Pelican 36 was observed on a trajectory estimated to be consistent by the crew of the following aircraft (Pelican 37) a few seconds before it passed over the drop site. However, video evidence shows that the track of Pelican 36 is further west than that of Pelican 44, which preceded it, and over higher terrain. One and a half seconds before the flight recorder stopped, the aircraft was in a right turn at an altitude of 1,360 feet. The angle of roll to the right and increasing was then 17°. While the elevators were nearly stable, the altitude stored by the flight recorder increased to 1,500 feet in one and a half seconds. After that the tail section of the aircraft separated from the fuselage. The aircraft then impacted the side of a mountain and broke up. Crew: Ludovic Piasentin, pilot, Jean-Louis de Bénédict, copilot.

Grumman S-2 Tracker

The aircraft departed Marseille-Marignane Airport in the afternoon and was dispatched in the area of Taradeau where a forest was on fire. Two helicopters, two others Tracker and five Canadair CL-415 were also dispatched to the same zone. The pilot was approaching the area on fire when he momentarily lost visual contact with the ground. The aircraft impacted trees and crashed, bursting into flames. The pilot escaped with minor injuries while the aircraft was destroyed by fire.

Canadair CL-415

The crew departed Marseille-Marignane Airport with three other similar aircraft to conduct a training mission in the bay of La Ciotat. Following several scooping manoeuvres, the crew simulated an engine failure and then performed a complete landing when the aircraft suffered severe vibrations. The crew increased engine power in an attempt to take off when the seaplane overturned and came to rest upside down. The copilot was seriously injured while the captain was killed.

Grumman S-2 Tracker

The pilot departed Bastia Airport on a flight to Marseille when he was called for a last fire fighting mission in the afternoon. While flying at low height over hilly terrain, the aircraft struck obstacles and crashed in a wooded area, bursting into flames. The pilot, sole on board, was killed.

Beechcraft 90 King Air

The twin engine aircraft was engaged in a survey flight over the region of Ajaccio under call sign 'Bengale 97', carrying one pilot and one fireman. Shortly after takeoff from Ajaccio-Campo dell'Oro Airport runway 20, while in initial climb, the pilot retracted the landing gear when the left engine failed. He initiated a left hand turn to return to runway 20 when the aircraft stalled and crashed on a the beach of Capitello about 500 metres southeast of the runway end, bursting into flames. Both occupants and a girl aged 13 were killed while four other people were seriously injured. Few days later, two of them, German tourists, died from their injuries. Crew: Igor Daïc, pilot Passenger: Lt Faustin Expédith, fireman. On ground victims: Marie-Louise Tagnatti, Peter & Heike Kirsch.

Grumman S-2 Tracker

The pilot departed Calvi-Sainte Catherine Airport on a fire fighting mission in the Balagne region. While flying at low height and fighting a fire, the twin engine aircraft struck the slope of a mountain located near Calenzana. The pilot, sole on board, was killed.

Grumman S-2 Tracker

The pilot, sole on board, was engaged in a fire fighting mission in Saint-Martin-Vésubie, about 40 km north of Nice. In unclear circumstances, the twin engine airplane struck trees and crashed in a wooded area. The aircraft disintegrated on impact and the pilot was killed. Pilot: Christian Lallement.

Grumman S-2 Tracker

The pilot, sole on board, was engaged in a fire fighting mission in the Luberon, north of La Roque-d’Anthéron, Bouches-du-Rhône. While flying at low height, the aircraft struck trees and crashed in a wooded area, bursting into flames. The pilot was killed.

Douglas DC-6

The aircraft was dispatched in a fire fighting mission over the Pyrenees Mountains. After the water was spread over the fire, the crew was trying to gain height when the aircraft struck a rock and crashed on the south slope of the Puig Llobregat (Mt de la Pouge) located northeast of Perthus Pass. The aircraft was destroyed and all four crew members were killed. Crew: Jean-Pierre Davenet, Jacques Ogier, Jack Le Bel, Roland Denard.

Grumman S-2 Tracker

The crew was approaching Marseille-Marignane Airport following a 3 hours survey flight over the region when he was informed about a fire that just started in Gignac-la-Nerthe, about 5 km south of Marignane Airport. As the fire retardant was still on board, the crew initiated a go-around and flew over the zone under fire. While flying at low height, the aircraft stalled and crashed in a prairie near a house. The aircraft was destroyed and both pilots were killed. Crew: Michel Brousse, Charles Daussin.

Douglas DC-6

The four engine aircraft departed Marseille-Marignane on a special flight to Perpignan-Rivesaltes Airport, carrying two passengers and a crew of three under callsign Pélican 63. While descending to Perpignan Airport, the crew encountered poor weather conditions with fog and rain showers. In limited visibility, the crew failed to realize his altitude was too low when the aircraft struck the slope of a mountain located near Fitou, about 20 km north of Perpignan Airport. The aircraft was destroyed upon impact and all five occupants were killed. The passengers were one engineer and one Colonel from the French Army while the captain, aged 64, was the deputy of the Chief of Operations of the Marseille-Marignane Airbase. They were flying to Perpignan-Rivesaltes Airport to proceed to a technical visit of the supply center.

Canadair CL-215

The crew was engaged in a fire fighting mission in Marseille. While flying at low height, the water bomber plane struck a tree and crashed in a wooded area located in the Marseilleveyre Mountain Range near the district of Pointe-Rouge, south of Marseille. The aircraft was destroyed and both occupants were killed. Crew: Yves Kohler, pilot, Georges Berujeau, mechanic.

Piper PA-31-310 Navajo

The crew departed Marseille-Marignane under call sign Bengal 66 for a local training flight. While cruising over Aix-en-Provence / Les Milles, an engine failed. The crew reduced his altitude and completed an emergency landing on a plateau. While both occupants escaped uninjured, the airplane was damaged beyond repair.

Canadair CL-215

The crew was engaged in a fire fighting mission over a mountainous area located in Vignale, about 18 km south of Bastia. As the crew was attempting a low pass over the fire, the aircraft struck power cables and crashed. Both pilots were killed. Crew: Daniel Mougin, pilot, Jacques Fossier, copilot.

Canadair CL-215

The crew was engaged in a fire fighting in south Corsica. While conducting a scooping mission, the crew lost control of the airplane that crashed into the Gulf of Sagona. Both pilots, Mr. Patillaud & J. Lebel were killed. The airplane was operated under call sign Pélican 25.

Canadair CL-215

The airplane was engaged in a fire fighting mission under call sign Pélican 22, carrying two pilots and a firefighter. While fighting a fire on the slope of a wooded mountain, the airplane struck the ground and crashed in flames. All three occupants were killed. Crew: Roger Carcasses, pilot, Roger Faugeron, pilot. Passenger: F. Mosali, firefighter.

Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina

The crew was completing a local training flight at Marseille-Marignane with scoping manoeuvres under call sign 'Pélican Blanc'. Upon landing, the airplane nosed down, plunged into the sea and partially sank. A crew member was killed while three others were rescued. The aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Canadian Vickers PBV-1 Canso (OA-10 Canso)

The crew was engaged in a scooping mission on the Donzère-Mondragon Canal located near Pierrelatte. While taking off, the nose gear door opened due to a technical failure. Water entered the gear bay and control was lost. The seaplane veered to the right then struck the bank before coming to rest partially submerged. Both pilots were uninjured while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.