1962 aviation accident involving a Vickers Viscount
The crash of Tramoyes involving the Air Inter Flight 2611 occurred on 12  1963 (1963--), when a Vickers Viscount 708 operated by Air Inter, which was on a scheduled service from Lille to Nice via Lyon, crashed in the early afternoon in Tramoyes in the southwest of the Ain department, during its approach to Lyon-Bron Airport, located about 15 kilometers away. While being held for landing, it encountered a severe thunderstorm. A wing of the aircraft struck two trees, then the roof of a farmhouse, and finally the aircraft collided with a reinforced concrete electric pole and crashed into a field. Twelve people were killed instantly, and four were seriously injured, but only one survived, a five-year-old girl. In total, the accident caused 16 fatalities: 11 of the 12 passengers, all 4 crew members, and 1 person on the ground. The probable cause of the accident was the blinding of the crew caused by a severe lightning flash, causing them to lose control of the aircraft.
Background.
Aircraft.
The aircraft involved was a Vickers Viscount 708 built by the British company Vickers-Armstrong in 1954 for Air France and acquired by Air Inter on 16 March 1962. It was equipped with four turboprop engines of the Dart 506 type. It had accumulated 12732 flight hours.
Crew.
In command was Captain Georges Valencia, born on 1 September 1925, had logged 7400 flight hours. He was responsible for navigation and engine control on this flight. His co-pilot was First Officer Guy Cleret-Langavant, born on 21 July 1930, had logged 5795 flight hours. He was the pilot-flying on this flight. The Chief Flight Attendant was Christiane Souleil, born on 22 May 1939. She was seriously injured in the accident and requested Francis Girard, the first person to arrive at the accident site, to inform Bron Airport. She died at the Édouard Herriot Hospital in Lyon. The other Flight Attendant was Liliane Perois, born on 31 October 1942.
Other Air Inter and Vickers Viscount accidents.
The crash of Tramoyes was the first of three aircraft crashes experienced by Air Inter during its existence (1958–1997), all three occurring in circumstances quite similar to those of the crash of Noirétable on 27 October 1972 (a Vickers Viscount coming from Lyon-Bron and approaching Clermont-Ferrand crashed in the Forez at night and in a storm) and the Mount Sainte-Odile disaster on 20 January 1992 (an Airbus A320 from Lyon-Satolas and approaching Strasbourg crashed in cloudy weather at night, near Mont Sainte-Odile).
The British medium-haul Vickers Viscount, launched in 1948, experienced a very large number of accidents during its career. Of the 445 aircraft put into service, there were 150 accidents or serious incidents, 144 of which resulted in the loss of the aircraft (List of accidents and incidents involving the Vickers Viscount).
Notes and references.
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