On March 19, 1929, a De Havilland DH.60 Moth (registration N-38) operated by Alf Gunnestad was involved in an aviation accident near Calais, France in flight. One person was killed. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: Loss of control due to encountering foggy conditions while flying over Calais. This summary draws on records from the Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A).
A solo pilot lost control of his aircraft while flying over the Calais area in foggy conditions, resulting in a crash that destroyed the plane and killed the occupant.
What happened
The incident involved a private aircraft operated by its owner and pilot. The flight originated in Lympne after the pilot took delivery of the machine, with the intended destination being Oslo. During the transit leg over the region surrounding Calais, the pilot encountered reduced visibility due to fog.
While navigating through these meteorological conditions, the pilot lost control of the aircraft. The loss of control resulted in a crash into the terrain. The impact forces and the subsequent post-crash fire destroyed the airframe completely. The sole occupant, the pilot, was killed in the accident.
Probable cause
Loss of control due to encountering foggy conditions while flying over Calais.
An X-AIR HAWK ultralight crashed in Chonburi, Thailand, killing the pilot and injuring a passenger. The accident was caused by deteriorated wing fabric and…
A Challenger II Special ultralight aircraft (U-B23) landed off-runway at Pai Airport, Mae Hong Son, on September 17, 2024, due to a gust of wind. No injuries…
The Polish aviation safety authority is investigating a serious incident involving an AT-3R100 aircraft that occurred on September 2, 2024. The investigation…
A SZD-48-3 glider suffered damage when its left wing struck a ground obstacle during a low final approach at EPWK on June 20, 2025. The pilot was uninjured.
A 39-year-old skydiver died after a hard landing near Leszno on May 1, 2026. The PKBWL preliminary report indicates the fatal impact resulted from a late,…
A student pilot crashed an SZD-50-3 Puchacz glider into the airfield fence during a solo training flight on June 6, 2026. The pilot was uninjured, but the…