Incident Overview
On a day with good weather conditions, a twin-engine aircraft departed Paris-Le Bourget Airport at 1123 local time, bound for Cannes. On board were the pilot and a passenger, Camille Bru, CEO of Laboratoires UPSA. At an altitude of 3,000 meters over Drôme, the aircraft collided with a Robin DR-308 registered as F-BSLO.
The Robin DR-308 had departed Gap Airfield at 1230 local time, bound for Chartres via Moulins. Its pilot, the sole occupant, was towing two gliders on behalf of the Bertin de Chatenay Aeroclub.
Collision and Aftermath
Immediately after the collision, the pilots of both gliders were able to detach from the towline and landed safely. Both aircraft, out of control, dove into the ground and crashed on the slope of Mt Salaure at an altitude of 1,100 meters. The twin-engine aircraft and the Robin DR-308 were totally destroyed. All three occupants—the two pilots and Camille Bru—were killed.