What we know about the plane that crashed into the sea in the Var, during the commemorations of the landing in Provence

A plane belonging to an association crashed off the coast of Le Lavandou on Friday during an air show.

A plane belonging to an association crashed into the sea on Friday, August 16, on the sidelines of the commemorations of the 80th anniversary of the landing in Provence. The pilot’s lifeless body was found, the prefecture announced early Friday evening. Here is what we know about this accident.

The fall of a Fouga Magister at sea on Friday late afternoon

The prefecture specified that the accident took place around 5 p.m., as part of a “air meeting off the coast of Lavandou”. A Fouga Magister, a plane highly prized by aviation enthusiasts but without an ejection seat belonging to an association, was taking part in the commemorations of the 80th anniversary of the Provence landings when it crashed into the sea. It was performing just before a demonstration by the Patrouille de France (PAF), according to a spokesperson for the Air and Space Force.

“We wondered if it was part of the show, before realizing that it was serious”a person who witnessed the scene told franceinfo. “We saw this magnificent plane doing aerobatics. My son and I saw it circling above the port, it went down, we were waiting for it to come back up but it crashed into the watersays Jean. Everyone was stunned.”

Pilot’s body found

The body of the pilot of the plane that crashed into the sea in Lavandou has been found, the Var prefecture announced in a press release on X. He is a man born in 1959, Samuel Finielz, the Var prosecutor, told AFP. “The prefect of Var, the maritime prefect and the mayor of Lavandou present their condolences to the pilot’s family”the prefecture said.

An investigation opened

An investigation to find the causes of the accident has been opened by the public prosecutor of Toulon. The prosecutor’s office told franceinfo that the investigation “will consist of recovering the wreck” and determine whether there was a “possible failure” on the plane. “medico-legal findings to determine possible discomfort” will also be carried out. A “security investigation” was also opened by the Bureau of Investigation and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety (BEA), which announced on X go there.

The performance of the Patrouille de France cancelled

Following this fatal accident, the Patrouille de France announced around 6:30 p.m. that it had decided to cancel its aerial display which was planned as part of the ceremonies.“Given the tragic circumstances, the PAF cancelled the demonstration and returned to the Hyères base” (Var), a spokesperson for the air and space force told AFP. “The pilots and the entire Air Force and Space community are showing their solidarity in these difficult times”the Air and Space Force said on X.

Furthermore, “in order to ensure safety in the crash zone and to preserve the action of the emergency services, navigation and nautical activities remain prohibited in the zone (…) until further notice”this source specified in its press release.