EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW. “Sébastien had the soul of a champion. He wanted to be the first” The parents of the deceased Norman fighter pilot pay tribute to their son

He was 36 years old and a father. Sébastien Mabire, one of the two pilots who died on Wednesday 14 August 2024 in the collision between two Rafale planes, was from Brix, in the Manche department. His parents, in Brix in the North Cotentin, agreed to testify.

Emotions are running high in Brix, a town of 2,000 inhabitants located south of Cherbourg-en-Cotentin, in La Manche.

Neighbors, friends, all are trying to support the parents of Sébastien, who died on Wednesday in the collision between two Rafale planes. Parents who agreed to give their testimony to Pauline Comte and Marie Saint-Jours of France 3 Normandie.

It was at the Paris Air Show at Le Bourget, when he was only 9 years old, that Sébastien Mabire discovered airplanes. His father Michel, who worked at DCNS and then in the French Navy, had taken his son there.

“And there, There were Rafale flight demonstrations, which had captivated Sébastien. We felt afterwards that a vocation was born in him“.

In 2004, at 16, an average student, he wanted to join the army to be an air technician.He worked hard to pass the Saintes competition.“ Once there, he spent every weekend gliding.

Having left the radar station, Sébastien was transferred to Metz.Afterwards, All alone, he prepared himself internally to train and achieve his dream“, relates his mother Marie-France.

“Sébastien had the soul of a champion. He wanted to be the first. When he rode a bike, he had to be champion of La Manche. When he set himself a goal, he went for it with all his might.“, his father remembers.

Sébastien became a fighter pilot in 2013. With over 2,000 hours of flight time and 47 combat missions under his belt, he was a very experienced military man.

“But he was a very humble person, emphasizes his mother. Sébastien never forgot his roots. He came from the grassroots and had a lot of respect for everyone. He always said hello to the mechanics.“

A man close to his family

Sébastien celebrated his 10th wedding anniversary this year.His wife Fanny, originally from Flottemanville-Hague, has always supported him, backed him up and followed him everywhere.“, his father emphasizes

“Sébastien was very loyal in friendship and love, very close to his family, his two children, his 8 year old daughter and his son who will be 3 years old on Tuesday, sighs Marie-France. He read them a story every night and always asked them what they liked about their day.“

Marie-France, who says she has always prepared herself for disaster to happen, clings to the idea that Sebastian “died of his passion, of what he loved.” But her voice breaks when she thinks of her daughter-in-law. “He leaves behind a wife and two children, a woman with whom he was very close, and that is tragic.“

Sébastien was one of three children. His brother Nicolas works at the Portbail equestrian center.

Paying tribute to Sébastien

The Brix town hall lowered its flags after the announcement of the death of pilot Sébastien Mabire, a local boy.

The Air Force has opened a guestbook accessible on the Internet until next Tuesday.

“36 years old and already gone to the stars… He must have all the tributes and his wife and children must be safe, because Sébastien gave everything to the Nation.“, cries her mother, who remembers her last visit in July to bring her daughter on vacation.”I told him “I love you my son” and he answered me “I love you mom”“.

In an attempt to shed light on this accident, investigations have been opened, focusing on “on several factors”, such as “the mission factor, a technical failure or the human factor“. “We collect as much information as possible by cross-referencing testimonies, but also by entering documentation that we will have to use later.“, explains the deputy commander of the research section of the Air and Space Gendarmerie.

For the moment, Captain Claude Levêque assures that he is “premature to draw conclusions about what may have happened.” “This is an investigation that could last several years” he adds.

“We hope to have the results of the investigation.” sigh Sébastien’s parents.