Investigation Summary
In the early 1920s, air navigation relied heavily on visual contact with the ground, with pilots following landmarks such as roads, railways, and rivers. On the day of the accident, the British DH.18A was flying a mail route from Croydon to Paris, while the French Farman F.60 was carrying three passengers from Paris to Croydon. Both aircraft were operating at an altitude of roughly 150 meters to maintain visual reference in drizzle and mist. The aircraft collided nearly head-on over Thieuloy-Saint-Antoine. The DH.18A lost a wing and its tail unit immediately, impacting the ground first. The Goliath crashed shortly thereafter. While local villagers reached the scene quickly, six occupants were dead on impact, and the sole survivor, a British boy steward, died of his injuries shortly after being rescued. The French crew consisted of a pilot and a mechanic, while the British crew consisted of a pilot and a steward.
Final Conclusions
The accident was attributed to the lack of standardized air traffic rules and the reliance on visual navigation in adverse weather conditions. At the time, priority rules differed between France and the United Kingdom, and there was no requirement for radio communication or established air corridors. The investigation led to an immediate international meeting at Croydon Airport, where airline representatives and government officials established the first formal 'rules of the air,' including the universal requirement to 'keep to the right' when passing other aircraft.
Video Analysis
No video analysis linked for this case file yet.
Airframe & Maintenance
Compagnie des Grands Express Aériens CGEA — Farman F.60 Goliath · F-GEAD
Daimler Hire Limited Daimler — de Havilland DH.18A · G-EAWO
Systems & Failure Modes
Visual Flight Rules (VFR)
At the time of the accident, pilots navigated by following physical landmarks like railways and rivers, which led both aircraft to occupy the same narrow geographic corridor.
Radio Equipment
Neither aircraft was equipped with radio communication, preventing any coordination between the pilots or ground stations regarding their positions.
Interesting Facts
- 01This was the first fatal mid-air collision involving commercial airliners in history.
- 02The collision occurred at a very low altitude of approximately 150 meters (492 feet).
- 03Both aircraft were biplanes; the Farman F.60 was a converted WWI heavy bomber.
- 04The British aircraft was carrying only mail and two crew members, while the French aircraft carried three passengers.
- 05The accident occurred only four days after Daimler Hire began operating the DH.18A.
Safety Actions & Advisories
Standardized Passing Rules
A meeting at Croydon Airport established the 'keep to the right' rule as a universal standard for aircraft passing each other.
Mandatory Radio Equipment
Resolutions were passed requiring all commercial airliners to be equipped with radio for communication.
Defined Air Corridors
Clearly defined air routes were introduced across the UK, France, Belgium, and the Netherlands to separate opposing traffic.