1952 Air France SNCASE Languedoc crash
1952 plane crash
The 1952 Air France SNCASE Languedoc crash occurred on 3 March 1952 when a SNCASE SE.161/P7 Languedoc aircraft of Air France crashed on take-off from Nice Airport for Le Bourget Airport, Paris, killing all 38 people on board. The cause of the accident was that the aileron controls had jammed, which in itself was contributed to by a design fault. The accident was the third-deadliest in France at the time and is the deadliest involving the SNCASE Languedoc.
Aircraft
The accident aircraft was a SNCASE SE.161/P7 Languedoc, msn 43, registration F-BCUM. The aircraft was powered by four 1,220-horsepower (910-kilowatt) Pratt & Whitney R-1830 SIC-3-G engines.[1]
Accident
Shortly after take-off from Nice Airport on a scheduled domestic passenger flight to Le Bourget Airport, Paris, the aircraft was seen to bank to the left, roll onto its back and crash about 1 kilometre (1,100 yd) north of the airport. All four crew and 34 passengers on board were killed.[1] The flight had originated in Tunis, Tunisia.[2] The accident was the third deadliest in France at the time and is the deadliest involving the SNCASE Languedoc.[1]
Thirteen of the victims were British, including shipowner John Emlyn-Jones and his wife.[3] Amongst the other victims were the French actresses Lise Topart [fr] and Michèle Verly and the American actress and ballet dancer Harriet Toby. A Frenchwoman was initially reported to have survived the crash seriously injured,[4] but she died later in hospital,[5] bringing the total to 38 deaths.[1]
Investigation
An investigation found that the cause of the accident was that the co-pilot's aileron controls had jammed due to a chain slipping off its sprocket. The difficulty of setting and inspecting the chains in the dual control columns was cited as a contributory factor in the accident.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e "F-BCUM Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 28 February 2014.
- ^ "BREVITIES". Flight (7 March 1952): 279.
- ^ "RETURNING TOURISTS IN CRASH". The Times. No. 52251. London. 4 March 1952. col D, p. 6.
- ^ "38 KILLED IN AIRLINER". The Times. No. 52251. London. 4 March 1952. col D, p. 6.
- ^ "In the News: A Boat Race, a Submarine Escape Tower, U. S. Helicopters and Aircraft Accidents". Illustrated London News (5891). London: 474. 15 March 1952.
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Aviation accidents and incidents in France
1900
- Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier (June 1785)
- Sophie Blanchard (July 1819)
- Patrie (November 1907)
- La République (September 1909)
- Léon Delagrange (January 1910)
- Picardie mid-air collision (April 1922)
- Air Union Farman Goliath crash (May 1923)
- KLM Fokker F.III Forêt de Mormal crash (June 1925)
- America (July 1927)
- R101 (October 1930)
- Sabena DC-3 Crash (December 1949)
- Air India Flight 245 (November 1950)
- Tête de l'Obiou C-54 crash (November 1950)
- Air France SNCASE Languedoc crash (March 1952)
- Air France Flight 178 (September 1953)
- Paris DC-6 crash (November 1956)
- TAI Flight 307 (September 1959)
- Air France Flight 406* (May 1961)
- Derby Aviation crash (October 1961)
- Air France Flight 007 (June 1962)
- Air France Flight 117 (June 1962)
- Malév Flight 355 (November 1962)
- Air India Flight 101 (January 1966)
- Air Ferry DC-4 accident (June 1967)
- Air France Flight 212 (March 1968)
- Air France Flight 1611 (September 1968)
- Pakistan International Airlines Flight 712 (December 1971)
- Air Inter Flight 696Y (October 1972)
- Nantes mid-air collision (March 1973)
- Paris Air Show Tu-144 crash (June 1973)
- Varig Flight 820 (July 1973)
- Pan Am Flight 816 (July 1973)
- Turkish Airlines Flight 981 (March 1974)
- TWA Flight 355 (September 1976)
- Aer Lingus Flight 164 (May 1981)
- Inex-Adria Aviopromet Flight 1308 (December 1981)
- TAT Flight 230 (March 1988)
- Air France Flight 296Q (June 1988)
- Air Inter Flight 148 (January 1992)
- Trans-Air Service Flight 671 (March 1992)
- Lufthansa CityLine Flight 5634 (January 1993)
- Airbus Industrie Flight 129 (June 1994)
- Air France Flight 8969 (December 1994)
- Proteus Airlines Flight 706 (July 1998)
- Air France Flight 4590 (July 2000)
- Air Caraïbes Flight 1501 (March 2001)
- Brit Air Flight 5672 (June 2003)
- Air France Flight 5672 (July 2003)
- Air Moorea Flight 1121 (August 2007)
- XL Airways Germany Flight 888T (November 2008)
- Germanwings Flight 9525 (March 2015)
- Touques Airbus AS350B helicopter crash (March 2021)
Includes overseas departments and overseas territories
* occurred in French Algeria, now an independent country
* occurred in French Algeria, now an independent country
