Proteus Airlines Flight 706
| Accident summary | |
|---|---|
| Date | July 30, 1998 |
| Summary | Mid-air collision |
| Site | Quiberon Bay |
| Total fatalities | 15 (all) |
| Total survivors | 0 |
| First aircraft | |
.jpg) A Beechcraft 1900D of Proteus Airlines, similar to the accident aircraft |
|
| Type | Beechcraft 1900D |
| Operator | Proteus Airlines |
| Registration | F-GSJM |
| Flight origin |
Lyon Satolas Airport Lyon, France |
| Destination |
Lorient-Lann Bihoué Airport Lorient, France |
| Passengers | 12 |
| Crew | 2 |
| Fatalities | 14 |
| Survivors | 0 |
| Second aircraft | |
 A Cessna 177RG Cardinal, similar to the accident aircraft |
|
| Type | Cessna 177RG Cardinal |
| Operator | Private |
| Registration | F-GAJE |
| Flight origin |
Vannes Airport Meucon, France |
| Passengers | 0 |
| Crew | 1 |
| Fatalities | 1 |
| Survivors | 0 |
Proteus Airlines Flight 706 was a scheduled commuter flight from Lyon, France to Lorient, France. On July 30, 1998 the Beechcraft 1900D operating the flight collided in mid-air with a light aircraft over Quiberon Bay. Both aircraft crashed in the sea, killing fifteen people.
Flight 706 took off from Lyon–Saint-Exupéry at 12:21 local time on a flight to Lorient Lann-Bihoué airport. About seventy minutes into the flight the crew made a request to the Lorient approach controller to deviate from their route slightly to the west to Quiberon Bay. The reason for this detour was to give the passengers and crew a view of the SS Norway, at that time the longest ocean liner ever built in France. Later examinations of the 1900D's cockpit voice recorder revealed that a passenger made his way to the cockpit and told the pilot and co-pilot of the presence of the Norway nearby, then suggested that the crew fly the aircraft closer to the ship. At the time of this request a Cessna 177 registered F-GAJE belonging to a local flying club took off from the airfield at Vannes for a local flight to Quiberon.
At 13:53, after first being cleared to descend to 3,700 feet (1,100 m) over the bay, the Proteus crew canceled their instrument flight rules and decided to use visual flight rules, descending from 2,500 feet (760 m) to 2,000 feet (610 m) while making a 360° turn around the ship. At 13:56 the pilot of the Cessna contacted the flight information service at Quiberon as he passed Larmor-Baden and informed them of his intent to descend from 3,000 feet (910 m) to 1,500 feet (460 m). At 13:57 the Proteus crew announced to the Lorient approach controller that they had reached the end of their 360° turn and asked to take a direct course for Lorient. After receiving confirmation of this request at 13:58 the two aircraft collided. Both aircraft immediately fell to the water, killing all 14 passengers and crew on board the Beechcraft, as well as the sole occupant of the Cessna.
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