Accident
A French Navy aircraft crashed while attempting to land at Lorient-Lann-Bihoué Naval Air Station. On approach, the crew encountered poor weather conditions with fog. During the final approach, the pilot failed to realize his altitude was too low, causing the airplane to strike the ground and crash a few hundred yards short of runway 26 threshold.
Casualties
The accident resulted in six fatalities and three serious injuries. The deceased crew members were identified as Ens Valbur (pilot), O/T Lars (copilot), 1st Mst Busson (navigator), 1st Mst Jaffré (electrician), 1st Mst Le Goff (mechanic), and 2nd Mst Le Bihan (mechanic). Three other crew members were seriously wounded.
Investigation
The investigation determined that the primary cause of the crash was the pilot's failure to realize his altitude was too low during the final approach in foggy conditions, leading to the aircraft hitting the ground short of the runway.