May 1923 Air Union Farman Goliath crash
Encyclopedia
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.
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.
at 12:35 local time
with two crew and four passengers on board. At 13:42, the aircraft crashed at Monsures
, Somme
and burst into flames. A garde champêtre
witnessed the aircraft flying at an altitude of 3000 feet (914.4 m) when he saw what he described as "an explosion" in the air. The aircraft crashed and was consumed in the fire that followed. All six people on board were killed, including M.
Pierrot, the Technical Director of Air Union. 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 (182.9 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.
Farman F.60 Goliath
The Farman F.60 Goliath was an airliner produced by the Farman Aviation Works from 1919. It was instrumental in the creation of early airlines and commercial routes in Europe after World War I.-Design and development:...
F-AEBY of Air Union
Air Union
Air Union was a French airline established 1 January 1923 as the result of a merger between the airlines Compagnie des Messageries Aériennes and Compagnie des Grands Express Aériens...
crashed at Monsures
Monsures
Monsures is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.-Geography:Monsures is situated on the D210 and the D109 roads, some south of Amiens, in the southernmost point of the département, in the valley of the Selle river and surrounded by woods and forests...
, Somme
Somme
Somme is a department of France, located in the north of the country and named after the Somme river. It is part of the Picardy region of France....
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
following the structural failure of a wing in flight. All six people on board were killed.
Aircraft
The aircraft involved was Farman F.60 GoliathFarman F.60 Goliath
The Farman F.60 Goliath was an airliner produced by the Farman Aviation Works from 1919. It was instrumental in the creation of early airlines and commercial routes in Europe after World War I.-Design and development:...
F-AEBY, c/n 3. The aircraft had entered service with Compagnie des Messageries Aériennes
Compagnie des Messageries Aériennes
Compagnie des Messageries Aériennes was a pioneering French airline which was in operation form 1919 - 23, when it was merged with Grands Express Aériens to form Air Union.-History:...
in April 1922, passing to Air Union in January 1923.
Accident
The aircraft departed Le Bourget Airport, ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
at 12:35 local time
UTC+1
UTC+01:00 is an identifier for a time offset from UTC of +01:00. In ISO 8601 the associated time would be written as .This time is used in:*Central European Time*West Africa Time*Western European Summer Time**British Summer Time**Irish Standard Time...
with two crew and four passengers on board. At 13:42, the aircraft crashed at Monsures
Monsures
Monsures is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.-Geography:Monsures is situated on the D210 and the D109 roads, some south of Amiens, in the southernmost point of the département, in the valley of the Selle river and surrounded by woods and forests...
, Somme
Somme
Somme is a department of France, located in the north of the country and named after the Somme river. It is part of the Picardy region of France....
and burst into flames. A garde champêtre
Garde champêtre
A garde champêtre is a combination of forest ranger, game warden and police officer in certain rural communes in France. They report to the local mayor. Many of these officers wear green uniforms and many carry firearms. They fall under the general supervision of the Gendarmerie.- External links :*...
witnessed the aircraft flying at an altitude of 3000 feet (914.4 m) when he saw what he described as "an explosion" in the air. The aircraft crashed and was consumed in the fire that followed. All six people on board were killed, including M.
Monsieur
' is an honorific title that used to refer to or address the eldest living brother of the king in the French royal court. It is also a customary French title of respect and term of address for a French-speaking man, corresponding to such English titles as Mr...
Pierrot, the Technical Director of Air Union. 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 (182.9 m) from the location of the main wreckage. One pair of wheels from the undercarriage was found near the railway line from Amiens
Amiens
Amiens is a city and commune in northern France, north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in Picardy...
to Beauvais
Beauvais
Beauvais is a city approximately by highway north of central Paris, in the northern French region of Picardie. It currently has a population of over 60,000 inhabitants.- History :...
, several hundred yards from the wreckage.
Casualties
The nationalities of the victims were:-| Nationality | Crew | Passengers | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
 FrenchFrance The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... |
2 | 1 | 3 |
 AmericanUnited States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... |
- | 2 | 2 |
 FinnFinland Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside... |
- | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 2 | 4 | 6 |