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The accident aircraft photographed in 2010 (Photo Jeff (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0))

A dramatic accident occurred on Friday, June 6 around 2:30 p.m. at Air Base 721 in Rochefort-Saint-Agnant, France. The Morane-Saulnier MS.733 F-AZXU crashed, resulting in the death of Alexandre Fritz, a former military pilot with 30 years of service.

He was performing a flight demonstration on the occasion of the graduation ceremony of the promotion class at the Non-Commissioned Officer Training School of the French Air and Space Force (EFSOAAE) in Rochefort.

A witness told Sud-Ouest that “the plane tried to turn around and suddenly stalled, from a height of 300 meters. Then there was a loud boom.” The exact causes of the accident are not yet known, and an investigation is underway.

We extend our deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of Alexandre Fritz.

Sources:

• Rochefort: A pilot dies in a plane crash | Sud-Ouest (in French)
• A former MS.733 “Alcyon” training aircraft crashed near Rochefort air base | Opex360 (in French)

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Beech D.18S Expeditor ‘1164 64’ G-BKGL seen at Old Warden in 2019 ( Photo © Alan Wilson (CC BY-SA 2.0))

Only a few days after the Beech 18 runway excursion at the Paris Air Legend airshow, we have learned that the Beech 18 registered G-BKGL crashed yesterday near Vescovato in Corsica.

According to local authorities, the three people on board were wounded.  One has reportedly suffered severe burns, and is in a life-threatening condition.  A second occupant was severely wounded. The aircraft had been destroyed.

This aircraft was well known by aviation enthusiasts as it was based at Duxford in the United-Kingdom for several years.

Our thoughts and prayers go to the victims of this accident, and their families.

Sources (in French) :

• Préfecture de la Haute-Corse | Crash d’un avion de tourisme sur la commune de Vescovato
• Le Parisien | Crash d’un avion de tourisme en Corse : deux Britanniques gravement blessés

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Beech E.18S F-AZEJ (Photo Alan Wilson (CC BY-SA 2.0))

The Beechcraft Model 18 (E18S) F-AZEJ belonging to  the Amicale Jean-Baptiste Salis was damaged today in a take-off accident on the first day of the Paris Air Legend 2021 airshow. Fortunately, nobody was hurt in the accident. The aircraft reportedly struggled to get airborne, veering off the runway and coming to a stop in an adjacent field. Photos of the accident appear to indicate moderate damage.

Correction (12 September 2021) : according to Le Parisien, the pilot appears to have suffered minor wounds.

Sources :

• With photos :  AeroWeb | Air Legend 2021 : accident d’un Beech 18 lors de son décollage
• Le Parisien | Montereau-sur-le-Jard: un pilote légèrement blessé après un crash au décollage

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The Jaguar A91 at the Paris Air & Space Museum on 17 January 2021 (Photo courtesy Xavier Méal)

January 17, 2021 is the 30th anniversary of the initial strikes of Operation Desert Storm led by the US-led coalition  against Iraq. It was also the day on which the SEPECAT Jaguar A91 of the French Air Force made its last flight after suffering extensive battle damage.  On this day, the aircraft officially joined the collection of the Paris Air & Space Museum (Musée de l’Air et de l’Espace) after many years of illustrious service.  The airframe has largely remained untouched since 1991 and shows its battle scars.

Read the full announcement on the French Air Force’s website (in French)

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The Aquilon n° 83 (Photo credit : IFREMER)

On November 20, 2020, the Pourquoi Pas ? , a ship of the French oceanographic fleetoperated by the Ifremerand the French navy was conducting scientific work south of Porquerolles in southern France, when its remotely-controlled Victor6000 robot discovered the wreck of an Aquilon fighter, a French-built de Havilland Sea Venom, nearly 8,000 ft beneath the surface.

The markings on the tail revealed the history of the aircraft and its pilot. The accident happened on 13 June 1960 as Aquilon 203 n°83 of Flottille 11F was in the last stages of its carrier qualifications on the British carrier HMS Ark Royal sailing off Hyères. During the final launch before returning to its base in Hyères, Aquilon n°83 hit the water and sank immediately. Its pilot, 27-year-old Maître Jean LEGOUHY, disappeared with his aircraft.

The Aquilon was the French navy’s first operational jet fighter. Built starting in 1952 by the Société Nationale de Construction Aéronautiques du Sud-Est (SNCASE) in Marignane, it was built in several versions and served from 1955 to 1966. The type served as a transition and an initiation to jet-powered aircraft, replacing the Hellcat and serving alongside the Corsair, which was used for ground attack until 1964. The final flight ig the Aquilon in the French naval air arm took place on 30 June 1966.

Sources : Marine nationale

Continue reading]]> Sergent-chef René Billotet, born on 18 April 1925 in Dôle (France) and last survivor of the Royal Air Force’s No 342 (Free French) Squadron passed away at his home aged 95.

Better known in France as the Groupe de Bombardement Lorraine, the squadron played an essential and unusual role during the D-Day landings. On the morning of 6 June 1944, six of the squadron’s aircraft were deployed to lay smoke screens between German coastal defences and the advancing Allied ships.

It was a particularly dangerous mission, as the aircraft had to fly a low, fast and predictable course very close to enemy defenses, making new passes regularly to maintain the smoke screens. One of the aircraft didn’t return to base : Boston BZ213 crashed into the sea during the mission, killing its crew of three.

The Boston IIIA BZ213 flown by Sgt Boissieux, SLt Canut & Sgt Henson, No 342 (Free French) Squadron, lost on 6 June 1944. © Gaëtan Marie

René Billotet was not selected to fly this mission but contributed to it by installing the smoke generators on the squadron’s Boston bombers during the previous night.

At the young age of 17, he had joined the French Resistance after Germany invaded the southern part of France on 11 November 1942. In June 1943 he managed to cross the Channel and joined the Free French Air Force where he was assigned to No 342 Squadron. He flew about ten wartime missions as an engineer.

After the war’s end, he continued serving in the French air force until 1963 and was always very active, visiting the Lyon-Mont Verdun airbase on a regular basis.

Our thoughts and prayers go to the family and friends of sergent-chef René Billotet.

Sources

• Opex 360 | Dernier survivant du Groupe de bombardement Lorraine, le sergent-chef René Billottet nous a quittés
• Site de l’Armée de l’Air | Sergent-chef René Billottet : une vie au service de l’armée de l’air
• La Croix | René Billottet, un vétéran français du « D-Day » à l’heure anglaise

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Spitfire PR.XIX PS890/F-AZJS at Duxford in 2015 (Photo Alan Wilson (CC BY-SA 2.0))j

The Spitfire PR.XIX PS890/F-AZJS flew again on 6 August 2020 at Duxford with John Romain at the controls.

The aircraft was heavily damaged in a take-off accident in June 2017 and was sent to Duxford for complete repairs. It still carries its former markings of No 152 Squadron RAF in south-east Asia.

The aircraft is expected to participate in the Paris Air Legend 2020 airshow on 12/13 September.

https://www.facebook.com/Warbirdapps/posts/3453410748002974

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A Stampe & Vertongen SV-4. (For illustration purpose. This is not the crashed aircraft). (Photo Pete Webber (CC BY-SA 2.0))

A Stampe & Vertongen  Stampe SV-4 crashed near the Angers-Marcé airport on Saturday the 4th of July, killing its pilot. The second crew member was hospitalized and is in critical condition. Both crew members and the aircraft were part of Stampe Aéro Passion, an association based at the Angers-Marcé airport.

The causes of the accident are not yet known. The aircraft involved appears to be F-PTTL, an SV-4 with a Lycoming O-320 engine.

Our thoughts and prayers go to the victims of this tragic accident and their relatives and friends.

Sources:

• Ouest France | Un crash d’avion fait un mort et un blessé grave près de l’aéroport d’Angers-Marcé

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The Ryan PT-22 Recruit 41-1964 (N53018) in Cerny in 2014 (Photo Johnny Comstedt (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0))

Two people were killed in the crash of their Ryan PT-22 Recruit (registered N53018) near Beaulieu in the Puy-de-Dôme department in France on Sunday the 23rd of February.

The causes of the accident are not yet known but witnesses indicate hearing unusual sounds coming the accident aircraft just before the crash, suggesting engine problems could be the cause. The aircraft fell in a plowed field, where the engine was torn off by the force of the impact.

The aircraft was part of the collector’s association “Les ailes volantes” (The flying wings) based in Issoire and France Bleu has published an article today indicating the two victims are 52 year-old Claude Robert, the president of the association, and his passenger and friend Christian Tachet, 72 years old and also a member of the association.

Our thoughts and prayers go to the family and friends of the two victims of this tragic accident

Sources:

• La Montagne | Deux morts dans le crash d’un avion de collection à Beaulieu (Puy-de-Dôme)
• France Bleu | Puy-de-Dôme : le président du club “Les Ailes volantes” décède dans le crash de son avion
• France 3 | Puy-de-Dôme : deux morts dans un crash d’avion à Beaulieu

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Daniel Koblet at the controls of the Morane-Saulnier D-3801 (MS.406) HB-RCF at Duxford in 2015 (Photo Alan Wilson (CC BY-SA 2.0))

Swiss pilot and  mechanic Daniel Koblet passed away on 14 January, aged only 60 after a short battle against illness. Koblet was well-known by classic aircraft and warbirds enthusiasts as a pilot and mechanic. He flew the sole surviving Morane-Saulnier MS.406 (actually a Swiss license-built D-3801) at airshows and participated in many aviation-related movies.

Our thoughts and prayers go to the family and friends of Daniel Koblet.

Sources, photos and biographies (in French)  :

• Daniel Koblet on J-1197.ch
• Hommage à Daniel Koblet on Héritage Avions Morane-Saulnier
• Le dernier envol de Daniel Koblet on Passion pour l’Aviation