Cognac – Châteaubernard Air Base ( or BA 709) is a base of the French Air and Space Force (Armée de l'air et de l'espace) located in Châteaubernard, 2.8 kilometres south of Cognac. Both locations are communes of the Charente département in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine région of France. The base is home to the Ecole de Pilotage de l'Armee de l'Air, the air force initial pilot training school.
It was used by the German Luftwaffe in World War II. The Luftwaffe's operations included anti-submarine Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condors as late as July 1944.Robin Olds, Fighter Pilot," (St. Martin's Press, New York, 2010) p. 57. He tells of a Condor being shot down by his P-38 squadron as it took off.
Units
Escadron de Drones 1/33 Belfort with the General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper Escadron de Drones 2/33 Savoie with the General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper Escadron de Transformation Opérationnelle Drones 3/33 Moselle École de Pilotage de l’Armée de l’Air 315 Général Jarry with Pilatus PC-21 and the Grob G 120 Escadron D'Instruction en Vol 1/13 Artois Escadron D'Instruction en Vol 2/12 Picardie
Accident
On 5 March 1973, Spantax Flight 400, a Convair 990 Coronado, flying from Spain to the United Kingdom with 107 occupants on board collided mid-air with Iberia Flight 504, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9 which was also flying from Spain to the United Kingdom with 68 occupants on board. The Iberia DC-9 crashed killing all 68 people on board that aircraft whereas the Spantax CV-990 performed a successful emergency landing at Cognac – Châteaubernard Air Base saving all 107 people on board that aircraft.
References
External links Official site BA 709 Cognac at French Air Force site Airport Chart at French Air Force site Aéroport de Cognac - Châteaubernard page at Union des Aéroports Français
Accident history for CNG / LFBG: Cognac-Parvaud Airport at Aviation Safety Network