Investigation Summary
TAT Flight 230 was a routine morning commuter flight from Nancy to Paris. The aircraft reached its cruising altitude of 14,000 feet. During the descent toward Paris Orly, while passing through 7,000 feet in poor weather conditions, the aircraft suffered a sudden and catastrophic electrical malfunction. This failure caused the immediate loss of the primary flight instruments and the autopilot. The aircraft subsequently entered a steep, high-speed dive. The investigation determined that the FH-227 lacked an independent, self-powered standby horizon at the time, leaving the pilots with no visual reference to determine the aircraft's orientation while flying in clouds. The aircraft struck high-voltage power lines before crashing in a field in Machault, near Fontainebleau.
Final Conclusions
The investigation concluded that the accident was caused by a loss of control following a total electrical failure. The lack of an independent attitude reference (standby horizon) prevented the crew from maintaining or regaining control of the aircraft once the primary instruments failed in instrument meteorological conditions. While the exact trigger for the electrical failure could not be definitively proven, the resulting loss of attitude information was the critical factor in the crash.
Video Analysis
No video analysis linked for this case file yet.
Systems & Failure Modes
Electrical System
A catastrophic failure of the electrical distribution system deprived the cockpit of all primary flight instrument data and autopilot functionality.
Attitude Indicator
The primary attitude references failed due to the power loss; the aircraft was not equipped with a battery-powered standby horizon to provide backup orientation data.
Interesting Facts
- 01The aircraft was a Fairchild FH-227B, a licensed U.S.-built version of the Fokker F27 Friendship.
- 02The crash occurred in poor weather conditions (IMC), necessitating reliance on flight instruments.
- 03The official death toll is 23, though a local memorial lists 24 to include the unborn child of a pregnant passenger.
- 04The investigation highlighted the absence of an independent standby horizon as a major contributing factor.
Safety Actions & Advisories
Standby Horizon Mandate
The accident reinforced the necessity for transport aircraft to be equipped with an independent, emergency-power-supplied standby attitude indicator.
Known Controversies & Unanswered Questions
Fatality Count Discrepancy
Reference ↗The official investigation report records 23 fatalities, whereas a memorial at the crash site lists 24 names, accounting for the unborn child of a pregnant passenger.