Amiot 120 The Amiot 120 was a family of French single - engine biplane bomber aircraft , built by the SECM - Amiot factory in mid - 1920s . The only series - built variant was Amiot 122 BP3 medium bomber , other known variant was Amiot 123 long - distance record plane . Design and development . The aircraft was designed as a medium single - engine biplane bomber with metal construction and conventional in layout , with braced wings . The fuselage consisted of a frame of duralumin pipes while the engine was covered with duralumin sheets , with the rest of the aircraft covered in fabric . A fixed conventional landing gear , with a rear skid was fitted . A crew of three sat in tandem in open cockpits . The first of the series was Amiot 120 BN2 , a 2 - seater bomber prototype , powered with a Renault 12Ma 580 hp inline engine ( registration F - AHCR ) . It was not ordered by the French Air Force and only one example was built . More successful was the next slightly enlarged variant , the Amiot 122 , of 1927 , powered by a Lorraine 18 Kd , 650 hp engine . Its initial production variant was Amiot 122 BP2 2 - seater bomber ( registration F - AIUQ ) , but it entered production as the Amiot 122 BP3 3 - seater bomber . A total of 80 aircraft were built for the French Air Force and five for Brazil . Another variant was the Amiot 123 . Designed as a bomber , designated the Amiot 123 BP3 ( one was built ) but the French Air Force showed no interest in it . At that time , Polish authorities were looking for a long - distance record aircraft for transatlantic flights . In 1928 and 1929 , two modified Amiot 123 aircraft were built as a long - distance variant , with enlarged fuel tanks ( first had Lorraine 18 Kdrs 710 hp engine , the second Lorraine 18 Kdrs 785 hp engine ) . The last two variants , the Amiot 124 BP3 and Amiot 125 BP3 were bomber prototypes in 1931 , fitted with Hispano - Suiza 18Sbr 1000 hp and Renault 18Jbr 700 hp engines respectively , but not ordered by the French Air Force . Some sources claim , that Amiot 121 with a Lorraine 18 Kd 650 hp engine and Amiot 126 prototypes with a Lorraine 18 Gad 700 hp engine were also built . Operational history . The Amiot 122 was first used as a long - distance sports aircraft . From 13 September 1927 , the prototype carried out a 10 , 800 km tour around the Mediterranean Sea , from Paris , through Vienna , Beirut , Cairo , Benghazi , Tunis , Casablanca to Paris . From 3 – 5 April 1928 , Lieutenant Girardot flew it across the Sahara , on the Paris - Timbuktu - Dakar - Paris 10 , 100 km route . A total of 80 Amiot 122 BP3s were used by the French Air Force as reconnaissance bombers , starting in 1930 . They were used in the 11th Aviation Regiment , based in Metz . They were nicknamed by pilots " La Grosse Julie " ( Big Julie ) . In 1931 , Brazil ordered five aircraft ( four , according to Brazilian publications ) . They were used until 1936 . One aircraft was used on the government side during a coup d ' etat in July 1932 . Transatlantic flights . Paul Teste was killed in an Amiot 120 on the 13 June 1925 as he was training for a transatlantic flight . The first Amiot 123 was bought by the Polish Air Force in order for a first westbound transatlantic flight ( in some sources , it is designated as Amiot 123 . 01 ) . It was named " Marszałek Piłsudski " ( Marshal Józef Piłsudski ) . The crew were pilot Ludwik Idzikowski and navigator Kazimierz Kubala . They commenced their first trial of a transatlantic flight on 3 August 1928 , taking off at 4 : 45 a . m . from Paris Le Bourget airfield . However , after flying some 3200 km away , above the ocean , they noticed lowering oil level in engine , which was caused by a cracked oil tank . They decided to return to Europe , since it was more than a half way to America , against the wind . After 31 hours of flight , when oil in engine ended , Idzikowski decided to land on water , by the German merchant ship " Samos " , about 70 km away from Spanish coast . The sailors rescued the crew and pulled an aircraft out of water , but it was damaged . Idzikowski and Kubala repeated a trial the next year . The second Amiot 123 was bought , initially built for the French pilot ( according to some sources , it was still the first aircraft ) . It was named " Orzeł Biały " ( the " White Eagle " , although according to some sources , it was still " Marszałek Piłsudski " ) . They took off on 13 July 1929 , at 3 : 45 a . m . from Le Bourget . After flying 2140 km , over the ocean , about 5 p . m . , the engine started to lose power , becoming noisy . They decided to land on Faial Island of the Azores . However , because of more irregular engine work , at 9 p . m . ( 7 p . m . local time ) , Idzikowski decided to make an emergency landing on a closer rocky island Graciosa . During a landing on a field , the aircraft hit a low stone wall and overturned wheels up . In a crash , Ludwik Idzikowski was killed , while Kazimierz Kubala was lightly injured . During a rescue action , the aircraft burned .