The May 1923 Air Union Farman Goliath crash occurred on 14 May 1923 when Farman F.60 Goliath F-AEBY of Air Union crashed at Monsures, Somme, France following the structural failure of a wing in flight. All six people on board were killed.
 A Farman Goliath, similar to the accident aircraft | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 14 May 1923 |
| Summary | Structural failure |
| Site | Monsures, Somme, France 49°42′36″N 2°10′19″E / 49.71°N 2.1719°E |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Farman F.60 Goliath |
| Operator | Air Union |
| Registration | F-AEBY |
| Flight origin | Le Bourget, Paris, France |
| Destination | Croydon, Surrey, United Kingdom |
| Passengers | 4 |
| Crew | 2 |
| Fatalities | 6 |
| Survivors | 0 |
Aircraft
editThe aircraft involved was Farman F.60 Goliath F-AEBY, c/n 3. The aircraft had entered service with Compagnie des Messageries Aériennes in April 1922, passing to Air Union in January 1923.[1]
Accident
editThe aircraft departed Le Bourget Airport, Paris at 12:35 local time with two crew and four passengers on board. At 13:42,[2] the aircraft crashed at Monsures, Somme and burst into flames. A garde champêtre witnessed the aircraft flying at an altitude of 3,000 feet (910 m) when he saw what he described as "an explosion" in the air.[3] The aircraft crashed and was consumed in the fire that followed. All six people on board were killed, including M. Émile Pierrot, the Technical Director of Air Union.[4] The cause of the accident was the structural failure of a wing. One of the aircraft's wings was found at a distance of 200 yards (180 m) from the location of the main wreckage. One pair of wheels from the undercarriage was found near the railway line from Amiens to Beauvais, several hundred yards from the wreckage.[2]
Casualties
editThe nationalities of the victims were:-[2]
| Nationality | Crew | Passengers | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
 French
|
2 | 1 | 3 |
 American
|
– | 2 | 2 |
 Finnish
|
– | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 2 | 4 | 6 |
References
edit- ^ "Civil Aircraft Register – France". Golden Years of Aviation. p. 2. Archived from the original on 2 March 2011. Retrieved 4 March 2011.
- ^ a b c "The Air Crash". The Times. No. 43342. London. 16 May 1923. col E, p. 14.
- ^ "Paris-London Air Crash". The Times. No. 43341. London. 15 May 1923. col G, p. 14.
- ^ Godin, Sylvie (17 May 2023). "Somme : le crash du Goliath avait fait six morts en mai 1923". Le Bonhomme Picard (in French). Retrieved 11 February 2024.