What happened
On December 15, a military transport aircraft operated by Escadron de Transport 01.062 Vercors departed from Toulouse-Francazal Airport at 09:52 local time. The mission, which involved paratrooper training, initially proceeded with 12 paratroopers and four crew members on board. During the flight, nine skydivers exited the aircraft at approximately 10:17 local time while the plane was at 12,000 feet near the Tour du Crieu drop zone. Following the jump, the pilot requested permission to perform a low-altitude flight over the Pyrenees mountains for roughly 15 minutes.
At 10:25 local time, the aircraft entered the Ariege valley, traveling through the Vicdessos valley toward Suc-et-Sentenac. At 10:34 local time, the aircraft initiated a right turn and began a climb to clear the Pic du Pioulou. The climb began at an altitude of 3,700 feet, which was only 600 feet above the terrain, maintaining a speed of 170 knots and a climb rate of 3,000 feet per minute. As the aircraft attempted to pass over the 7,200-foot peak, the speed decreased to 100 knots, triggering the stick shaker and stall warnings. The aircraft's speed further declined to 55 knots as the nose pitched up to an angle of attack of 55 degrees. The aircraft then entered a stall, rolled to the left, and struck the slope of the Pic du Pioulou at an altitude of 1,830 meters. The impact destroyed the aircraft and caused seven fatalities, including all four crew members and three paratroopers remaining on board.
Findings
Investigation into the flight path revealed that the aircraft attempted a climb that exceeded its operational capabilities. To successfully clear the Pic du Pioulou, the aircraft required a climb of at least 3,500 feet over a distance of 4,500 meters, representing an average slope of 23.4%. The attempted climb over the mountain peak exceeded the aircraft's performance limits, leading to the aerodynamic stall and subsequent crash.