What happened
On a local training mission, a twin-engine aircraft departed from Aix-les-Milles Airport at 15:20 local time. The flight crew was operating under instructions to maintain an altitude between 5,000 and 6,000 feet. During the flight, the aircraft traveled past Marseille and Toulon before reaching the Le Castellet area.
While maintaining a cruising altitude of 6,000 feet and a speed of 110 knots, the aircraft experienced an uncontrolled descent. The plane plummeted toward the terrain at a rate of 6,000 feet per minute, striking a rocky area within the Sainte-Victoire Mountain Range near Saint-Antonin-sur-Bayon. The impact occurred in a near-vertical orientation. The wreckage of the aircraft was destroyed by the force of the crash and a subsequent fire.
Findings
- The flight involved two fatalities, consisting of one instructor and one student pilot.
- The aircraft entered a high-speed dive immediately preceding the impact.