# 1948 Beechcraft Model 18 disappearance

The 1948 Beechcraft Model 18 disappearance was an event in which, on 8 November 1948, an aircraft flying from Paris to London vanished over the English Channel, carrying pilot René de Narbonne, a radio operator, and six Czechoslovak ice hockey players: Zdeněk Jarkovský, Miloslav Pokorný, Vilibald Šťovík, Zdeněk Švarc, Ladislav Troják, and Karel Stibor.

## Days before the crash

The Czechoslovak national ice hockey team began preparations for the 1949 Ice Hockey World Championships under the new coach Antonín Vodička with an international trip to France and the United Kingdom. Due to passport issues, the players only set off on the day of the first match. Some passengers gave up their seats for the hockey players on Saturday 6 November, but due to the presence of Foreign Minister Vladimír Clementis and his entourage, the team had to be split up. The substitute goalkeeper Jarkovský and defender Švarc therefore flew to Paris with their teammates' bulky luggage only on Sunday.
The Czechoslovak national ice hockey team narrowly won 4–3 over the Club Racing Paris team on Saturday. The players of the winning team were originally scheduled to have a free day on Sunday. However, the team management was informed before the Saturday match that they would be forced to fly with the hockey players to London on 7 November, as all seats on the planes were already booked for the following weekdays. The Czechoslovak delegation was again unable to travel complete. Jarkovský and Švarc were still not in Paris, and defenders Šťovík and Pokorný and forwards Troják and Stibor had to wait until Monday due to visa issuance.

## Monday – the day of the crash

The six waiting Czechoslovak hockey players were taken care of by people from the embassy and the Ministry of Social Care. On Monday 8 November the director of the Palais des sports ice rink in Paris and the future chairman of the International Ice Hockey Federation John Ahearne, who represented the organizers of the match in London, communicated at length. The French representative arranged for a special aircraft from the company Mercure to fly the Czechoslovak hockey players.
The management of the Czechoslovak delegation with eight hockey players waited in the capital of the United Kingdom in vain for the arrival of more players and equipment. Despite these problems, the Czechoslovak national ice hockey team succeeded in their first official international match of the new season. The home team sportingly adjusted the number of players participating in the match to match the Czechoslovak team and did not please their fans with a 3–5 loss. However, the winners did not have much reason to celebrate after the game, as they learned that their six teammates had still not arrived in London.
The twin-engine Beechcraft Model 18 aircraft with the registration F-BGAF took off in fog from Le Bourget Airport at 16:38. Due to formal issues, there was a two-hour delay compared to the last expectations. The six Czechoslovak hockey players and luggage were to be transported across the English Channel by the aircraft's co-owner and captain, resistance hero René de Narbonne. The leading French sports pilot knew the route well from World War II, when he had successfully completed it many times as a pilot of the Royal Air Force. He was reportedly known for often disregarding navigation rules. This time, too, despite the air traffic controller's instructions, he deviated from the course and flew along the coast towards Cherbourg. In worsening weather conditions, the crew made their last report at 17:39 from the area between Le Mans, Evreux, and Rouen (although Le Mans is significantly south of Rouen and Evreux). All further attempts to contact his accompanying radio operator were unsuccessful; the plane with eight men remained missing.

## Days after the crash

Search efforts for the missing plane soon began, first in the air and later with British ships on the water. However, as of Tuesday 9 November it became increasingly apparent that the goal would not be achieved. The team management returned prematurely with the remaining hockey players to Czechoslovakia from the tour, which was supposed to include five more matches. The pilot's body was found in the Channel many days after the disaster.
Meanwhile, in Czechoslovakia, speculation spread that the plane had not crashed and that the players had used it to emigrate. Relatives of the six missing hockey players were investigated and their lives were unpleasantly affected for years by the State Security due to this reason.
The death of the six hockey players also affected the 1948–1949 Czechoslovak league competition. Although LTC Praha won the last championship title without losing a point, their long-time serious rival I. ČLTK Praha was relegated without winning a single point. They especially missed goalkeeper Jarkovský. The Czechoslovak national ice hockey team, however, despite the loss of five world champions from 1947, silver medalists from the 1948 Olympic tournament, and double European champions from the same years, won the 1949 Ice Hockey World Championships.

## List of deceased players

* Zdeněk Jarkovský (born 3 October 1918) – goalkeeper for the I. ČLTK Praha club, who represented Czechoslovakia in 7 matches. World Champion 1947, silver medalist from the 1948 Winter Olympics, and double European champion (1947, 1948).
* Zdeněk Švarc (born 16 December 1919) – defender for the I. ČLTK Praha club, who represented Czechoslovakia in 2 matches.
* Vilibald Šťovík (born 9 October 1917) – defender for the LTC Praha club, who represented Czechoslovakia in 43 matches, scoring 3 goals. World Champion 1947, silver medalist from the 1948 Winter Olympics, and double European champion (1947, 1948).
* Miloslav Pokorný (born 5 October 1926) – at the time of his death, already a defender for the ATK Praha club, for which he never played due to his tragic death. In 19 matches for Czechoslovakia, he scored 4 goals. World Champion 1947, silver medalist from the 1948 Winter Olympics, and double European champion (1947, 1948).
* Ladislav Troják (born 15 June 1914) – forward for the LTC Praha club of Slovak nationality, who represented Czechoslovakia before World War II and scored 37 goals in 75 matches. World Champion 1947 (bronze from the 1938 World Championships), silver medalist from the 1948 Winter Olympics, and double European champion (1947, 1948).
* Karel Stibor (born 5 November 1924) – forward for the LTC Praha club, who represented Czechoslovakia in 23 matches, scoring 14 goals. World Champion 1947, silver medalist from the 1948 Winter Olympics, and double European champion (1947, 1948).