Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All France Étretat Monument L'Oiseau Blanc
AO Edited

Monument L'Oiseau Blanc

In 1927, a biplane disappeared while attempting to complete the first non-stop transatlantic flight between Paris and New York City. This memorial stands at the last place it was seen.

Étretat, France

Added By
Gavin
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Monument L’Oiseau Blanc   ThruTheseLines / CC BY 2.0
Monument L’Oiseau Blanc   Patrick / CC BY-SA 2.0
  ThruTheseLines / CC BY 2.0
Postcard of L’Oiseau Blanc with Charles Nungesser and Francois Coli   Public Domain
Monument with Chapelle des pêcheurs in the background   Gavin / Atlas Obscura User
Information panel   Gavin / Atlas Obscura User
Information panel about the previous monument that was destroyed apart from the base during WW2   Gavin / Atlas Obscura User
  Gavin / Atlas Obscura User
  Bkern / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

On May 8, 1927, L'Oiseau Blanc, a biplane, disappeared during an attempt to make the first non-stop transatlantic flight between Paris and New York City. The aircraft was flown by two French pilots, Charles Nungesser and François Coli. They departed Le Bourget Field at 05:17 local time. The aircraft, heavy with fuel, barely cleared the trees at the end of the runway. Four military aircraft accompanied the flight on the first leg. 

At 06:48, the aircraft was sighted over Étretat on the coast. At this stage, they’d traveled 108 nautical miles in over an hour and a half. Étretat was an important location because it was the decision point. Nungesser and Coli had agreed that they would turn back here if they felt the attempt was unlikely.

They continued flying northwest at a low altitude, crossing the English Channel. Later the four military aircraft turned back and L’Oiseau Blanc flew on. The aircraft and crew were later lost. The reason for their disappearance and their ultimate fate is still a mystery.

A fisherman reported seeing the wreckage of the plane in the water off the coast of Étretat a day or two after the famous departure. Other reports claim to have heard the plane flying over Exeter UK at 08:15 fitting the timeline, as does a 10:00 sighting over County Clare in Ireland. There are also a number of witnesses in Newfoundland and Maine including seven reports made from residents of Harbour Grace in Newfoundland who stated that they had heard an aircraft flying overhead around 9:30 or 10:00. One more report in the north-east of Maine, stated that they heard a plane engine misfiring and the sound of a crash. No wreckage of the aircraft was ever found.

Less than two weeks after the disappearance of the biplane, the American Charles Lindbergh successfully completed the non-stop transatlantic flight with the Spirit of St. Louis, leaving from New York and touching down at Le Bourget airport on May 21, 1927. 

The monument is located on the hill overlooking Étretat, near the Chapelle Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde and within sight of the Falaise d'Aval, a towering white cliff featuring a monumental natural arch eroded by the sea, accessible at low tide. A museum near the sight offers a discovery of the history of Etretat, from its origins to the end of World War II, and a room reserved for Nungesser and Coli aviators.

Related Tags

Airplanes Wreck Aircraft Memorials

Community Contributors

Added By

Gavin

Edited By

Bkern, Michelle Cassidy

  • Bkern
  • Michelle Cassidy

Published

September 29, 2022

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://fearoflanding.com/history/the-last-known-whereabouts-of-the-white-bird/
Monument L'Oiseau Blanc
31 Av. Damilaville
Étretat, 76790
France
49.71123, 0.207174
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Chapel of Notre-Dame-de-Grâce

Honfleur, France

miles away

Église Sainte Catherine

Honfleur, France

miles away

Jardin du Tripot

Honfleur, France

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of France

France

Europe

Places 692
Stories 72

Nearby Places

Chapel of Notre-Dame-de-Grâce

Honfleur, France

miles away

Église Sainte Catherine

Honfleur, France

miles away

Jardin du Tripot

Honfleur, France

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of France

France

Europe

Places 692
Stories 72

Related Places

  • Stockport Air Disaster Memorial Site

    Stockport, England

    Stockport Air Disaster Memorial

    Remembering the 72 passengers who lost their lives in 1967 airplane wreck.

  • The Lytham St. Annes Spitfire.

    Lytham, England

    Lytham St Annes Spitfire Memorial

    During World War II, locals rallied together to buy this plane to support the war effort.

  • Memorial, across from the airport

    Utqiagvik, Alaska

    Wiley Post-Will Rogers Memorial

    Commemorating the lives of a renowned humorist and a famed aviator who died in a plane crash in northern Alaska.

  • Pan Am Flight 812 Memorial

    Denpasar, Indonesia

    Pan Am Flight 812 Memorial

    A lonely memorial to the 107 victims of Pan Am Flight 812, which crashed in Bali in 1974.

  • Plane’s engine on the summit.

    Morocco

    Tibherine East Crash Site

    An old airplane engine forms an unusual cairn atop this Moroccan peak.

  • Catalina wreckage on Vatersay.

    Outer Hebrides, Scotland

    Catalina Wreck

    The rusting remnants of a flying boat lie scattered near the site of its fatal crash.

  • Pegasus.

    Antarctica

    Pegasus Wreck

    The remains of a doomed Antarctic plane, buried beneath layers of ice and snow, await those willing to do a bit of digging.

  • 1968 Gulfstream II

    Urbana, Maryland

    Wingless Gulfstream of Urbana

    Not all airplanes are found in hangars or on runways, but this wayward fuselage seems out of place in its odd rural resting place.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.