Tragic Plane Crash in Western France

They were expected in La Baule by a relative. The plane where had taken place, this Tuesday August 15, Michèle Monory, the daughter of the former president of the Senate, René Monory, Gérard Leclerc, the journalist of CNews, and probably a third person, never happened. He crashed in the Lavau-sur-Loire sector, west of Nantes.

They left at 11:07 a.m. from Loudun

The Robin DR400 took off from Loudun aerodrome, in Vienne, at 11:07 a.m. Gérard Leclerc, a 71-year-old political columnist, was at the controls of the tourist plane.

“I saw Gérard (Leclerc) this morning around 10 a.m. He told me he was waiting for favorable weather, reports Michel Richez, president of the Loudun flying club. He had done his weather check before leaving. He left soon after. He had been flying very regularly for years. He had been to La Baule several times. I have been president for fifteen years and he was already fired from the flying club before me. We have three planes and a microlight. Gerard was competent. » His half-brother, singer Julien Clerc, is due to perform in La Baule this Thursday.

Marie-Cécile Loubaresse, deputy prosecutor at the Saint-Nazaire public prosecutor’s office, and the sub-prefect of Saint-Nazaire, Éric De Wispelaere. | WEST FRANCE See full screen Marie-Cécile Loubaresse, deputy prosecutor at the Saint-Nazaire public prosecutor’s office, and the sub-prefect of Saint-Nazaire, Éric De Wispelaere. | WEST FRANCE

Above Nantes, the pilot reported to the control tower to say that he was leaving the area. “At 11:37” precisely, indicated the deputy prosecutor of Saint-Nazaire, Marie-Cécile Loubaresse. This is the last sign of life from the plane. “At 11:42 a.m., he disappeared from radar, located near the Loire, in Lavau-sur-Loire. »

In La Baule, a friend is worried about not seeing him arrive. And everything starts. According to our information, the Nantes control tower called Loudun between 1:30 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. to find out if they had radio contact. “When the planes are in an area, the fact of having no more news then leads to three rapid phases (the phases of uncertainty, alert and distress)”, explains Valérie Rousseau, the director of the La Baule aerodrome.

For the plane piloted by Gérard Leclerc, the alert was given shortly after 2 p.m. The sub-prefect of Saint-Nazaire immediately decided to activate the Aero-Terrestrial Rescue Plan (SATER).
Read also: Who is the journalist Gérard Leclerc, who disappeared in the plane crash in Loire-Atlantique

Debris spotted at a lock

From the checkpoint set up in Lavau-sur-Loire, to the west of Nantes, searches are organized on land, in the air and on waterways. Thirty firefighters and fifty gendarmes rake the marshy ground. Drones and helicopters are deployed, as are nautical means. “Specific means of the departmental association of radio amateurs in the service of civil security were also able to go on site”said the prefecture.

For a few hours, the emergency services maintained the hope that the experienced pilot had only suffered a radio problem. But at 6:30 p.m., debris with a registration number corresponding to the Robin DR 400 was reported at a lock, as well as a wheel. “This made it possible to determine and narrow the search within a perimeter of three kilometers made up of swamps three or four meters deep”explained the representative of the prosecution.

The Lavau-sur-Loire sector is closed while the research is underway | WEST FRANCE View full screen The Lavau-sur-Loire sector is closed while research is underway | WEST FRANCE

Conflicting information about the discovery of a body

Before a press conference held in Lavau-sur-Loire, the sub-prefect of Saint-Nazaire Éric De Wispelaere announced, at the end of the day, that a body had been found. Information immediately contradicted by the deputy prosecutor of Saint-Nazaire. At 8:45 p.m., Marie-Cécile Loubaresse was also unable to confirm the presence in the aircraft of a third person. “Checks are in progress. »

In parallel with the judicial inquiry, the Bureau of Investigation and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety has opened an investigation into the accident. ” deadly “ Robin de Laudun. Two investigators have already visited the scene. Two others are to join them this Wednesday, August 16.

The search will continue on Wednesday

On the ground, the search was made difficult this Tuesday evening “by darkness and strong currents”. The deputy prosecutor of Saint-Nazaire hoped that they would resume around 11:30 p.m. with “better tides”. Otherwise, the search system with surface divers will resume early Wednesday.

In the village, questions

This Tuesday evening, a strong gendarmerie device secured the search area, making it impossible to approach the places of investigation. In Lavau-sur-Loire, a town of 800 inhabitants, residents were invited to show their credentials. “If they’re looking for something there, they’ll have a hard time finding it,” said one of the residents, rolling his eyes at the last passage of a Civil Security helicopter.

2023-08-16 08:23:36
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