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Crash of a Beechcraft 1900D off Quiberon: 14 killed

Date & Time: Jul 30, 1998 at 1558 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
F-GSJM
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Lyon - Lorient
MSN:
UE-238
YOM:
1996
Flight number:
PRB706
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
12
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
14
Captain / Total flying hours:
3072
Captain / Total hours on type:
1356.00
Copilot / Total flying hours:
1016
Copilot / Total hours on type:
361
Aircraft flight hours:
3342
Circumstances:
Following an uneventful flight from Lyon-Satolas Airport, the crew was approaching Lorient-Lann-Bihoué Airport when he contacted ATC and requested a special clearance to cancel his IFR flight plan for a visual circuit over the Bay of Quiberon to show the 'Norway' ship (ex France) to the passengers. While cruising under VFR mode in excellent weather conditions at an altitude of 2,000 feet, the twin engine aircraft collided with a private Cessna 177 Cardinal registered F-GAJE and owned by the Aéro Club de Vannes. Following the collision, both aircraft entered an uncontrolled descent and crashed in the Bay of Quiberon about 1,500 metres from the ship and 10 km off Quiberon. All 14 people on board the Beech 1900D as well as the pilot of the Cessna 177 were killed.
Probable cause:
The collision was due to the absence of visual detection of the other aircraft by each of the two crews in an uncontrolled Class G Airspace where collision avoidance relies exclusively on external vigilance ("See and Avoid" rule). The decision to change the flight regime and trajectory placed the crew of the Beech 1900D in an improvised and unusual flight situation with a public transport aircraft. The following contributing factors have been identified:
- The pilots, on different frequencies, were unaware of their mutual presence,
- The pilots had their attention focused on the ship 'Norway',
- The organization of the activity in the cockpit of the Beech 1900D and its ergonomics did not allow effective monitoring, particularly towards the outside of the turn,
- The dead angles of the Cessna 177 probably masked the Beech 1900D from its pilot while both aircraft were approaching each other,
- The position of the sun may have hampered the pilot of the Cessna 177,
- The Cessna 177 transponder was off, thus the aircraft could not be viewed on the ATC radar based in Lorient. As a result, he was unable to provide traffic information to the crew of the Beech 1900D.
Final Report:

Crash of a Lockheed P2V-7 Neptune at Lorient-Lann-Bihoué NAS: 6 killed

Date & Time: Jan 15, 1971
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
147564
Survivors:
Yes
MSN:
726-7179
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
9
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
6
Circumstances:
On approach to Lorient-Lann-Bihoué NAS, the crew encountered poor weather conditions with fog. On final, the pilot failed to realize his altitude was too low when the airplane struck the ground and crashed few hundred yards short of runway 26 threshold. Three crew members were seriously wounded while six others were killed.
Those killed were:
Ens Valbur, pilot,
O/T Lars, copilot,
1st Mst Busson, navigator,
1st Mst Jaffré, electrician,
1st Mst Le Goff, mechanic,
2nd Mst Le Bihan, mechanic.

Crash of a Lockheed P2V-7 Neptune in Lorient: 12 killed

Date & Time: Feb 4, 1970 at 0439 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
147571
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Lorient - Lorient
MSN:
726-7193
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
12
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
12
Circumstances:
The airplane was engaged in a tactical exercice over the Atlantic Ocean and was carrying 12 members of the Escadrille 25F. Shortly after a night takeoff from Lorient-Lann-Bihoué Naval Air Station, while in initial climb in poor weather conditions, the airplane entered a left turn then plunged into the earth and crashed onto a small hill located in Kergantic, about 3 km southwest of the airfield. The aircraft was totally destroyed and all 12 occupants were killed.
Crew:
Lt Henri Debray,
S/S Yvon Sivy,
1st Mst Michel Bioux,
1st Mst Louis Jacquemard,
1st Mst Gérard Donaghy,
1st Mst Achille Le Riblair,
1st Mst René Milewski,
1st Mst Pierre Le Guerroué,
1st Mst Roger Perrucchieti,
Mst Jacques Bigot,
Mst Jean-Pierre Frangé,
Mst Jean-Marie Frison.

Crash of a Lockheed PV-7 Neptune into the Iroise Sea: 13 killed

Date & Time: Mar 13, 1967 at 2145 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
147565
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Lorient - Lorient
MSN:
726-7181
YOM:
1958
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
13
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
13
Captain / Total flying hours:
2750
Circumstances:
The crew departed Lorient-Lann Bihoué Naval Air Station on a maritime patrol flight on behalf of the 24F Group. En route, in unknown circumstances, the airplane crashed into the Iroise Sea, some 40 nautical miles off the Ar-Men lighthouse, Britain. All 13 crew members were killed.
Crew:
Lieutenant de Vaisseau Thaddée Tyl, pilot,
Maître Guy Stivalet, pilot,
Lieutenant de Vaisseau Jean-François Lucas, navigator,
Enseigne de Vaisseau Jacques Guillemette, navigator,
Maître Michel Maurin, navigator,
Premier Maître François Connan, flight engineer,
Premier Maître Raymond Couturier, flight engineer,
Maître Joseph Vanteene, flight engineer,
Premier Maître Léopold Claulin, electronician,
Maître Bernard Gueneguan, electronician,
Maître Joseph Helliott, electronician,
Maître Jean-Claude Pledel, electronician,
Second Maître Louis Delannoy.

Crash of a Boeing B-17E Flying Fortress in Lorient

Date & Time: Oct 21, 1942
Operator:
Registration:
41-9034
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
MSN:
2506
YOM:
1941
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
0
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
Crashed near Lorient after being shot down. Crew fate unknown.
Probable cause:
Shot down.