5 fatalities

Training Flight Crashes in Dannemois, Killing Five (F-BGNK)

Dannemois, FranceFlight

On December 12, 1956, a Vickers Viscount (registration F-BGNK) operated by Air France was involved in an aviation accident near Dannemois, France in flight. 5 people were killed. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The cause of the loss of control could not be determined with certainty. This summary draws on records from the Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A); 8 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

Sourcesthe Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A)Primary reportUpdated 2026-06-12Data APIEditorial standards

A training flight from Paris-Orly to Reims crashed in Dannemois, France, after losing control. All five crew members were killed.

Incident

A training flight departed Paris-Orly Airport at 0849LT for Reims. On board were three pilots, one instructor, and one controller from the Vilgenis Instruction center. After takeoff, the crew climbed to 3,000 feet and above the cloud layer, continuing under Visual Flight Rules (VFR). At 0858LT, the captain requested permission to climb to 5,000 feet when control was lost. The airplane entered a dive and crashed in a field in Dannemois, approximately 31 kilometers south of Paris-Orly Airport.

Aircraft and Crew

The aircraft was destroyed by impact forces and a subsequent post-crash fire. All five crew members were killed: Mr. Marchandise, Mr. Brunot, Mr. Colsy, Mr. Heymard, and Mr. Nicolai.

Investigation

According to the official investigation, the cause of the loss of control could not be determined with certainty.

Probable cause

The cause of the loss of control could not be determined with certainty.