What happened
A twin-engine aircraft departed Brussels Airport at 11:57 local time, operating a scheduled mail service destined for Paris-Le Bourget. The flight was carrying a cargo of newspapers along with two crew members. Shortly after takeoff, the aircraft reached an altitude of 4,000 feet and received clearance to climb further to 6,000 feet.
During this ascent, the plane entered heavy cloud cover characterized by adverse weather. The aircraft experienced a simultaneous loss of power in both engines caused by ice accumulation. In response to the engine failure, the pilot initiated an emergency descent to return to Brussels Airport. As the aircraft descended to approximately 200 feet, the crew regained visual contact with the terrain.
The flight ended with an emergency belly landing in a pasture. During the slide, the aircraft traveled several dozen meters before striking the annex of a residential building. The impact resulted in the aircraft being destroyed and caused two injuries among the crew members.
Findings
Investigations concluded that the primary factor in the accident was the loss of engine power. This failure occurred because the aircraft was operating within an atmosphere with extreme icing conditions.