Mengen - Brétigny-sur-Orge

On December 2, 1946 at 11:30 AM, Mengen - Brétigny-sur-Orge experienced a crash involving Martin B-26 Marauder, operated by French Air Force - Armée de l'Air, with the event recorded near Le Ballon d'Alsace Haut-Rhin.

The flight was categorized as military and the reported phase was flight at a mountains crash site.

12 people were known to be on board, 12 fatalities were recorded, 0 survivors were identified or estimated. This corresponds to an estimated fatality rate of 100.0%.

Crew on board: 4, crew fatalities: 4, passengers on board: 8, passenger fatalities: 8, other fatalities: 0.

The listed crash cause is weather. The aircraft left Mengen Airbase in the morning on a flight to Brétigny-sur-Orge, south of Paris, with several French Officers on board. Shortly before noon, the crew encountered poor weather conditions with low visibility due to heavy snow falls. While flying over the Vosges Mountain Range, the aircraft hit the slope of the snowy Le Ballon d'Alsace (1,247 meters high). The aircraft disintegrated on impact and all 12 occupants were killed. Crew (Groupe II/20 Bretagne): S/Lt René Gasperment, pilot, Sgt René Le Pironnec, navigator, S/Lt André Taîb, radio operator, Sgt Léopold Ney, mechanic. Passengers: Cdt Jean Mahé, Chief of Groupe II/20 Bretagne, Cpt Loïc Le Saulnier, Cpt Robert Milbeau, Cdt Marcel Badoy, Mrs Simone Badoy, Mr Antoine Badoy (5 years old), Mrs Jeanne Marie Stern, spouse of Cdt Jean Mahé, Mr Robert Jolly, (9 years old, son of Cdt Jean Mahé).

Aircraft reference details include registration 41, MSN 44-67855.

Geospatial coordinates for this crash are approximately 47.7445°, 7.1181°.