The jets, from the Rafale Transformation Squadron, were returning from an aerial refueling training mission over Germany, when they collided for unknown causes.
Two Dassault Rafales of the French Air and Space Force were involved in a mid-air collision on Aug. 14, 2024, at around 12:30 p.m. local time. The two aircraft were returning from an aerial refueling training mission over Germany.
French defense minister Sébastien Lecornu said on X that two Rafales were from the 3/4 Aquitaine Transformation Squadron (or Transition Squadron), assigned to the Base Aérienne 113 (Air Base) Saint-Dizier. The minister confirmed that one pilot is safe and has been recovered with minor injuries by emergency crews, while the search was still ongoing for the other two.
Shortly before midnight, however, the Air Force confirmed that the two missing pilots lost their lives in the incident. The two pilots have been identified as Captain Sébastien Mabire, instructor, and Lieutenant Matthis Laurens, trainee pilot. Mabire has been a pilot since 2013, becoming an instructor at Saint-Dizier in 2022, while Laurens became a pilot in 2021 and started training on the Rafale in November 2023.
#InMemoriam CNE Sébastien Mabire – Pilote de chasse depuis 2013, il a commencé sa carrière opérationnelle au sein du régiment de chasse 2/30 « Normandie-Niémen » avant d’être instructeur au sein de l’escadron de transformation Rafale 3/4 « Aquitaine », depuis août 2022.
— Armée de l'Air et de l'Espace (@Armee_de_lair) August 14, 2024
#InMemoriam LTT Matthis Laurens – Pilote de chasse breveté en 2021, il était affecté sur Rafale au sein du régiment de chasse 2/30 « Normandie-Niemen » depuis novembre 2023. Il poursuivait son instruction au sein de l’escadron de transformation Rafale 3/4 « Aquitaine ».
— Armée de l'Air et de l'Espace (@Armee_de_lair) August 14, 2024
The incident took place in Meurthe et Moselle, in the country’s northeast. The Air Force further specified that the aircraft crashed near the town of Colombey-les-Belles and the service’s military police and firefighters have been dispatched to the area to assist.
Un accident de deux Rafale de l’Escadron de Transformation Rafale 3/4 « Aquitaine » a eu lieu en Meurthe et Moselle.
Un des pilotes a été retrouvé, il est sain et sauf. Les recherches sont toujours en cours. Merci à nos forces armées ainsi qu’aux gendarmes mobilisés dans les…
— Sébastien Lecornu (@SebLecornu) August 14, 2024
A statement issued by the regional government agencies and authorities to the local media said: “Search operations for the pilots have been launched by the departmental gendarmerie group, the departmental fire and rescue service, the national forestry office and ADRASEC (national federation of radio amateurs in the service of civil security).” It added that “the military authority will communicate on the causes of the accident.”
The crash
In context of the ongoing war in Ukraine, military authorities told the press that “all the pilots involved were French nationals.” They later added that “Ukrainian pilots are currently being trained in France, but at the Cazaux base (southwest) and only on Alpha Jet fighters.”
The Aviation Safety Network identified one of the jets as the Rafale B variant, which is the two-seat variant. Le Monde mentioned that according to a French Air Force source the aircraft involved were a two-seat Rafale B and a single-seat Rafale C, with the latter being the aircraft of the pilot already recovered. Both aircraft belonged to the 4th Fighter Squadron assigned to Saint-Dizier air base.
The French Air and Space Force (Armée de l’Air et de l’Espace) subsequently posted on X: “Today, around 12:30 pm, two Rafale aircraft from the Rafale transformation squadron (ETR) at air base 113 in Saint-Dizier (Haute-Marne) collided while returning from a refueling mission in Germany. The two planes crashed near the town of Colombey-les-Belles (Meurthe-et-Moselle). So far, only one pilot has been rescued unharmed. The transformation squadron of the Rafale has the main mission of training pilots and navigators for the French armed forces.”
The Ministry of the Armed Forces later mentioned in a press release that the two aircraft collided during a simulated combat maneuver as part of an instructional flight of the two Rafales.
Les deux avions se sont écrasés à proximité de la commune de Colombey-les-Belles (Meurthe-et-Moselle). Pour l’heure, un seul pilote a été récupéré indemne.
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— Armée de l’Air et de l’Espace (@Armee_de_lair) August 14, 2024
Feed from live-flight tracking websites posted on X showed an Airbus A330 MRTT (callsign VALNT35) tanker circling in the standard refueling pattern over Germany, near the border. The track then shows the aircraft diverted, while on the way home, to the area of the crash and descending to a lower altitude, possibly to coordinate the rescue.
An accident involving two Rafale jets from the French Armed Forces occurred in Meurthe-et-Moselle, France. One pilot is safe; search continues.#France #Paris #BREAKING pic.twitter.com/SCPXh5t4ie
— Target Reporter (@Target_Reporter) August 14, 2024
Previous Crashes
Le Parisien also mentioned prior accidents involving Rafales. On Dec. 7, 2007, an unarmed Rafale crashed near Neuvic (Corrèze) after diving from 4,000 meters. The investigation concluded that the pilot suffered “spatial disorientation”.
On September 24, 2009, an accident between two Rafale M, the naval variant, occurred as they were preparing to join the aircraft carrier Charles-de-Gaulle, at the end of a training flight and a maximum weight catapult test. One of the pilots died in the accident.
Two Rafale C jets had also collided mid-air on May 22, 2022 during the Cognac National Air Show, which France’s Accident Investigation Bureau for State Aviation Safety said in Sep. 2023 that it was owing to human error. As The Aviationist had reported, the aircraft were flying the tactical display of the Vautour Bravo team when, at about 12:40 local time, they made contact.
Two #Rafale fighters of the French Air Force were involved in a minor collision at Cognac airshow , but managed to land safely. One aircraft lost part of its tailfin in the collision. pic.twitter.com/NUvPDHjgSJ
— IDU (@defencealerts) May 23, 2022
According to reports, the incident occurred when the pilots performed a “show of force” (low-altitude, high-speed pass) along the air base’s runway. The leader initiated a sharp 180° right turn followed by a steep climb to execute a maneuver known as an “oreille” (ear in French, also known as a high-speed Yo-Yo in English – ed. note], to prepare for the next figure.
The wingman followed the leader in close formation, but noticed a significant closure rate due to the leader’s unusually steep climb. Questioned by the wingman, the leader indicated on the radio flying at a speed of 200 knots, which was lower than the typical 250 knots during this phase.
The wingman requested an acceleration, prompting the leader to increase power and adjust the aircraft’s pitch downward as the wingman approached from behind and beneath. Yet they could not avoid colliding.
This is a developing story, we will update the article as more details emerge.
