A Fouga Magister aircraft crashed into the sea during an air show off the coast of Le Lavandou in southeastern France on August 16, 2024.
At approximately 17:00 local time, the pilot, identified as Didier Berger, a former fighter pilot and aviation instructor, was maneuvering when the aircraft failed to stabilize and plunged into the water. Despite immediate search and rescue efforts, Berger’s body was found later that evening.
🔴 [ Urgent ] Un Fouga Magister du meeting aérien du Lavandou se crash en mer.
— air plus news (@airplusnews) August 16, 2024
▫️Le Fouga Magister qui participait au show aérien qui précède celui de la Patrouille de France s'est abîmé à proximité de la côte varoise.
Plus d’infos à venir.
Vidéo d’Agathe Govare pic.twitter.com/m5Ai7V0zCG
The Patrouille de France, which was supposed to perform later during the celebration of the Provence landing’s 80th anniversary, canceled its aerial presentation.
“Following the Fouga Magister accident, which occurred around 17:00 off Le Lavandou, the
[Patrouille de France] has canceled its aerial demonstration,” the French Air and Space Force said in a statement. “Pilots and the entire Air and Space Force community are showing their solidarity in these difficult times.”
The Fouga Magister CM-170, a two-seater subsonic jet, was once the primary trainer aircraft of the French Air Force. It also equipped the Patrouille de France aerobatic team before being replaced by the Alphajet in 1980. The aircraft does not feature an ejection seat.
This crash occurred two days after the death of two French pilots in a collision between two Rafale fighter jets during a combat exercise.