Television journalist Gérard Leclerc, who tragically died last August in a plane crash, was "very probably" the victim of "spatial disorientation" due to cloud cover, according to a recent BEA investigation report. The Robin DR400 aircraft he was piloting crashed on August 15, 2023, in Lavau-sur-Loire, Loire-Atlantique, claiming the lives of the 71-year-old journalist and his two passengers.
Leclerc took off from Loudun aerodrome at 11:07 a.m., heading to La Baule to attend a concert by his half-brother, Julien Clerc. The BEA report concludes that the plane likely entered a cloud layer, causing Leclerc to lose external visual references and experience spatial disorientation. This disorientation led him to unknowingly start a right turn, losing control of the aircraft.
When the plane descended and exited the cloud layer at significant speed, Leclerc probably did not have time to react before the aircraft collided with the surface of the water. The crash site, an area of marshes bordered by high reeds in the Loire estuary, made the search for bodies particularly challenging due to strong currents and near-zero visibility for divers.
Gérard Leclerc had a distinguished career in journalism, starting as a radio journalist on Europe 1 and RMC before spending three decades in public service. In 2017, he joined CNews as an editorial writer. He was married to Julie Leclerc, a historic voice of Europe 1, and they had three children together.
