Le Havre – Biscarosse

Few minutes after takeoff from Le Havre, while flying over the Bay of Seine, the crew encountered poor weather conditions with snow falls. The seaplane went out of control and crashed into the sea off the Saint-Marcouf Islands, between Le Havre and Cherbourg. The aircraft was lost and all 19 occupants, pilots and engineers of the manufacturer, were killed.

Flight / Schedule

Le Havre – Biscarosse

Aircraft

Latécoère 631

Registration

F-BDRD

MSN

07

Year of Manufacture

1948

Date

February 21, 1948 at 02:00 PM

Type

CRASH

Flight Type

Positioning

Flight Phase

Flight

Crash Site

Lake, Sea, Ocean, River

Crash Location

Saint-Marcouf Islands Manche

Region

Europe • France

Crash Cause

Weather

Narrative Report

On February 21, 1948 at 02:00 PM, Le Havre – Biscarosse experienced a crash involving Latécoère 631, operated by Latécoère Industries, with the event recorded near Saint-Marcouf Islands Manche.

The flight was categorized as positioning and the reported phase was flight at a lake, sea, ocean, river crash site.

19 people were known to be on board, 19 fatalities were recorded, 0 survivors were identified or estimated. This corresponds to an estimated fatality rate of 100.0%.

Crew on board: 8, crew fatalities: 8, passengers on board: 11, passenger fatalities: 11, other fatalities: 0.

The listed crash cause is weather. Few minutes after takeoff from Le Havre, while flying over the Bay of Seine, the crew encountered poor weather conditions with snow falls. The seaplane went out of control and crashed into the sea off the Saint-Marcouf Islands, between Le Havre and Cherbourg. The aircraft was lost and all 19 occupants, pilots and engineers of the manufacturer, were killed.

Aircraft reference details include registration F-BDRD, MSN 07, year of manufacture 1948.

Fatalities

Total

19

Crew

8

Passengers

11

Other

0

Crash Summary

Few minutes after takeoff from Le Havre, while flying over the Bay of Seine, the crew encountered poor weather conditions with snow falls. The seaplane went out of control and crashed into the sea off the Saint-Marcouf Islands, between Le Havre and Cherbourg. The aircraft was lost and all 19 occupants, pilots and engineers of the manufacturer, were killed.

Cause: Weather

Occupants & Outcome

Crew On Board

8

Passengers On Board

11

Estimated Survivors

0

Fatality Rate

100.0%

Known people on board: 19

Operational Details

Schedule / Flight

Le Havre – Biscarosse

Flight Type

Positioning

Flight Phase

Flight

Crash Site

Lake, Sea, Ocean, River

Region / Country

Europe • France

Aircraft Details

Aircraft

Latécoère 631

Registration

F-BDRD

MSN

07

Year of Manufacture

1948

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