Toulouse – Perpignan – Oran

On September 12, 1951 at 12:28 PM, Toulouse – Perpignan – Oran experienced a crash involving Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3), operated by Société de Transports Aériens Alpes Provence - STAAP, with the event recorded near Balearic Sea Balearic Islands.

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

39 people were known to be on board, 39 fatalities were recorded, 0 survivors were identified or estimated. This corresponds to an estimated fatality rate of 100.0%.

Crew on board: 3, crew fatalities: 3, passengers on board: 36, passenger fatalities: 36, other fatalities: 0.

The listed crash cause is technical failure. The pilot prepared an IFR flight plan for a direct flight from Perpignan to Oran, at an altitude of 8,000 feet, the duration to be 3 hours and 15 minutes. Algiers was listed as the alternate. At 1045LT the crew requested take-off instructions from Perpignan control tower and following engine run-up, a normal take-off was made at 1045LT. After taking-off the aircraft was seen climbing away, somewhat off the SSE heading (this is the conventional procedure, consisting in flying round Cape Creus in order to avoid the Alberes mountains before heading for Oran. At 1056LT the aircraft made radiotelegraphy contact with Perpignan navigational D/F and reported true track: 202 degrees, good visibility, altitude: 8,000 feet and a magnetic bearing (QDR) was requested. At 1058LT the D/F station transmitted a QDR of 1620 and reported in its log strong interference caused by static. At 1131LT the aircraft contacted Aix area control centre and reported Barcelona abeam. At 1200LT the aircraft contacted Algiers area control centre and reported ETA at Oran 1415LT, altitude 8,000 feet, flying sometimes below and sometimes in clouds (QBH-QBF) and reported static interference and requested a true bearing from Algiers (QTE). Algiers replied at 1158LT QTE = 3320. At 1216LT the aircraft reported position at 1208LT hours was 40°N 25°E, ETA Oran 1410LT. At 1226LT, the last message was received from the aircraft, bearing on Algiers 3170, altitude 8,000 feet, flying in cloud and requested clearance to descend to 6,000 feet. About two minutes later, the aircraft went out of control and crashed into sea, about 60 km north of Cap de la Nau and about 50 km northwest of the Ibiza Island. Few debris and dead bodies were found four days later. The aircraft was destroyed upon impact and sank, and all 39 occupants were killed.

Aircraft reference details include registration F-BEIZ, MSN 15985/32733, year of manufacture 1945.