No fatalities

Aircraft Undercarriage Collapse During Landing in Rennes (G-AKAD)

Rennes, FranceLanding (descent or approach)

On May 17, 1948, a Handley Page H.P.70 Halifax VIII (registration G-AKAD) operated by British American Air Services - BAAS was involved in an aviation accident near Rennes, France during landing or approach. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The accident was caused by the collapse of the undercarriage during the landing phase. This summary draws on records from the Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A); 2 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

Sourcesthe Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A)Primary reportUpdated 2026-08-05Data APIEditorial standards

An aircraft suffered a total loss after its undercarriage failed upon landing at Rennes. The incident resulted in no injuries to the occupants.

What happened

During the landing phase at Rennes, the aircraft experienced a mechanical failure involving its landing gear. Specifically, the undercarriage collapsed as the plane touched down. Following this structural failure, the airframe slid across the runway surface for several yards before eventually coming to a complete stop. The impact and subsequent slide caused significant damage to the structure of the aircraft.

Despite the severity of the mechanical failure and the resulting collision with the ground, there were no injuries reported among those on board. However, the extent of the structural damage sustained during the incident rendered the airframe unserviceable. The aircraft was declared damaged beyond repair and written off as a total loss.

Probable cause

The accident was caused by the collapse of the undercarriage during the landing phase.