Crash site	Toulouse/Blagnac airport, France
Airline	Inter Cargo Service   –   Aeropostale (chartered)
Aircraft	Vickers 953C Vanguard  –  F-GEJF
Route	Toulouse/Blagnac  –  Paris/Orly
Crew	3  –  3 survivors
Passengers	1  –  1 survivor

 

The crash

The plane came from Paris and landed at the Blagnac airport at 22:50. During the flight the crew had encountered problems with the no. 4 engine. On the ground the flight engineer checked the engine and exchanged some parts. At 00:02 the engines were started, but the no. 4 engine remained abnormally hot. The pilot decided to continue on only three engines. During takeoff the plane banked to the right and the wing touched the ground and at 01:11 the plane crashed and caught fire.

 

The mail

According to Nierinck the plane was loaded with 6.000 kgs. of mail (can that be correct?) and around 2.000 kgs. was recovered.
Most of the mail was domestic, but some foreign mail was also on board. I have recorded 5 items sent to the Nordic countries (2 to Denmark and 3 to Finland).

The French post was quick in obtaing two different handstamps to be used on the recovered mail.
One had the word “DETERIORE” and the other with “RETARDE”.
According to Nierinck the first was used on mail in bad condition and the second on mail in good condition.
But I have recorded burned mail with type A and also almost perfect covers with B.

 

A.
French handstamp.
Red.
Size:  63 x 19 mm.

Translation:
Damaged mail  /  from  Aeropostale accident  /  on 29-01-88

 

 

 

B.
French handstamp.
Red.
Size:  ?

Translation:
Delayed mail  /  from Aeropostale accident  /  on 29-01-88

 

 

C.
Danish handstamp.
Black.
Size:  43 x 25 mm.

Translation:
Arrived damaged + date.

 

 

 

 

Examples of mail

Cover from Toulouse, France to Ballerup, Denmark with metermark dated 28.1.88. The cover show the crash handstamp type A and a Danish handstamp used in Copenhagen on damged mail. This handstamp show the year 1989 which no doubt is an error as it should have been 1988. Thiesen Collection.
Cover from Toulouse, France to Odense, Denmark with illegible  postmark as stamp had fallen off. The cover show the crash handstamp type A and it was forwarded in a Danish service cover type J6 (3-77). Spoor Collection.
Cover from France postmarked  FONSORBES 28-1 1988 to Turku, Finland. The only slightly damaged cover show the crash handstamp type A. Thiesen Collection.