The Latécoère 631 was a civil transatlantic flying boat built by Latécoère, the largest ever built up to its time. The type was not a success, being unreliable and uneconomic to operate. Five of the eleven aircraft built were written off in accidents and one was lost during World War II.
Design and development
The Latécoère 631 was the result of a specification issued in 1936 by the Direction Générale de l'Aviation Civile for a 40-passenger airliner with a range of 4,000 kilometres (2,500 mi). The aircraft was ordered in 1938. It was intended that it would be powered by six Gnome et Rhône P.18 engines of 1,650 horsepower (1,230 kW) each. A competitor for this specification was the SNCASE SE.200 Amphitrite.[1]
Construction of the aircraft was stopped due to the outbreak of World War II and was not resumed until after the signing of the Franco-German Armistice in 1940.[1] The prototype, registered F-BAHG, first flew on 4 November 1942. It was subsequently confiscated by the Germans,[1] and passed to the Luftwaffe, who allocated the codes 61+11 to it.[2] The aircraft was flown to Lake Constance, where it was destroyed in an attack by two Royal Air Forcede Havilland Mosquito aircraft on 17 April 1944.[1] SNCASE SE.200 Amphitrite 20+01 was destroyed in the same attack.[2]
History
Air France Latécoère 631 F-BDRC
The second aircraft, F-BANT, first flew on 7 March 1945. It was powered by six Wright Cyclone engines of 1,600 horsepower (1,200 kW) each.[1][3] Four aircraft were purchased by Air France, and entered service on the Biscarrosse-Port-Étienne-Fort de France route in July 1947. The aircraft were withdrawn from service in August 1948 following the loss of F-BDRC. SEMAF operated two aircraft until 1950, when the survivor was withdrawn following the loss of F-WANU. The Société France Hydro operated one aircraft until it was lost on 10 September 1955.[1] This was the last flying aircraft,[4] with the remaining four survivors being scrapped. The Latécoère 631 was not a success due to it being unreliable and uneconomic to operate.[1]
Accidents and incidents
31 October 1945
An Air France Latécoère 631 (F-BANT) was operating a flight from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to Montevideo, Uruguay, and Buenos Aires, Argentina, when the propeller of No. 3 engine separated in flight and debris struck the No. 2 engine. A propeller blade sliced a 3 metres (9.8 ft) hole in the cabin, killing two passengers. A small fire started and an emergency landing was made in the Laguna de Rocha, Uruguay. The aircraft was subsequently repaired and returned to service.[3] The poet, diplomat and composer Vinicius de Moraes and writer Rubem Braga, both Brazilians, were on board.
A SEMAF Latécoère 631 (F-WANU) crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off Cap Ferret, Gironde, after the aileron control couplings failed due to severe vibration in one of the engines' gearboxes with the loss of all twelve people on board. The aircraft was on a test flight from Biscarrosse to determine the cause of the crash of Air France Flight 072.[7]
10 September 1955
A France-Hydro Latécoère 631 (F-BDRE) suffered wing separation (probably due to wind shear) after flying into a tropical storm, and crashed 38 mi north of Banyo, French Cameroon, killing all 16 on board. The aircraft was on a flight from Lac Lérè, Chad, to Douala, French Cameroon (now Cameroon), en route to Biscarrosse for maintenance.[4]
Specifications (Latécoère 631)
Latécoère 631
Data from World Encyclopedia of Civil Aircraft [8]
Chillon, Jacques; Dubois, Jean-Pierre & Wegg, John (1980). French Post-War Transport Aircraft. Tonbridge, UK: Air-Britain. ISBN0-85130-078-2.
Cuny, Jean (1989). Les avions de combat français, 2: Chasse lourde, bombardement, assaut, exploration [French Combat Aircraft 2: Heavy Fighters, Bombers, Attack, Reconnaissance]. Docavia (in French). Vol. 30. Ed. Larivière. OCLC36836833.
Delmas, Jean (May–June 1969). "Ce fut le plus grand hydravion français: Laté 601" [It Was the Biggest French Seaplane: The Laté 601]. Le Album de Fanatique de l'Aviation (in French). No. 1. pp. 24–27. ISSN0757-4169.
