Industry News
Tragedy struck the ski resort town of Méribel-les-Allues, Savoie, France, on Tuesday, January 21, when a Piper PA-18 Super Cub collided mid-air with two tandem paragliders before crashing into the roof of a chalet on Route de la Renarde. The accident, which occurred at 4:55 p.m., claimed the lives of the plane’s two passengers, a 58-year-old pilot and his 26-year-old co-pilot friend. The paragliders, though shaken, escaped uninjured.
Emergency services mounted a large-scale rescue operation, with 30 vehicles and 45 firefighters mobilized. The Samu medical service, national gendarmerie, and the mayor of Méribel also attended the scene. The response was made more challenging by a kerosene leak from the aircraft that seeped into the chalet, raising fears of fire and structural collapse. A judicial investigation has been opened under the Albertville prosecutor’s office to understand the exact circumstances of the accident. A medical-psychological support unit was set up to assist witnesses and the victims’ families.
The pilot was an experienced airline captain from the Paris region, described as a highly skilled aviator with a deep passion for mountain flying. His passenger, a co-pilot for a Belgian airline, shared his love for aviation. Jean-François Grammont, president of the Méribel Aeroclub, mourned the loss, describing the pilot as “an exceptionally skilled and kind individual, calm and humble.”
The plane that crashed was a Piper PA-18, also known as the Piper Super Cub, and was an iconic aircraft in aviation history. This particular plane, nicknamed “Choucas,” made history in 1960 when it was landed atop Mont Blanc by Henri Giraud, a pioneering mountain pilot. The 58-year-old victim had been instrumental in restoring and maintaining the historic aircraft, which was based at Albertville airfield but had been in Méribel for several days before the crash. Grammont reflected on the significance of the loss: “This plane isn’t just a machine—it’s a piece of mountain aviation history. Losing it feels like losing part of that legacy.”
While the paragliders involved in the mid-air collision were unharmed, the close call left the pair shaken and in need of assistance.
