The Italian Aerospace Information Web
by Aeromedia - corso Giambone 46/18 - 10135 Torino (Italy)

A New Historical Aircraft on Display at Volandia

On the 17th of May, 2025, the "Parco e Museo del Volo Volandia", put the Morane-Saulnier MS.760B Paris II on display, painted in the livery in which it flew with the SNAM fleet in the early 'Sixties. The aircraft, presented by Lupo Rattazzi, President of the Neos airline, is the sister ship to I-SNAP which, on October 27, 1962 at 10.15 p.m., crashed at Bascapè during its approach to Linate airport. The accident caused the death of Enrico Mattei, President of ENI, Irnerio Bertacchi at the controls and William McHale, a journalist of the US magazine Time. Only a few months earlier, the two Paris II's had flanked the De Havilland D.H. 104 Dove 6 I-ANIC which later was sold to Aeral.

Credible journalistic and judicial investigations, prompted by conflicting revelations of two former French secret agents, were made public after the disaster. However the true cause of the accident was never ascertained. Despite negationist professors to the bitter end, the three men killed at Bascapè are still waiting justice.

The prototype of the Morane-Saulnier MS.760 Paris in its military version flew for the first time on July 29, 1954. Few years later it was followed by the civil Morane-Saulnier MS.760B Paris II, a small business jet aircraft avant la letter unique in its kind. A total of 219 items were produced in France and 36 more were assembled in Brazil. On February 9, 1959, the first-delivered Paris went to the Section de Liaison de Dugny of Aéronautique Navale based at Le Bourget Airport.

In 2009 a US company named JetSet Aviation acquired the Paris type certificate from Daher SOCATA, the successor company to Morane-Saulnier. JetSet also bought more than 30 retired Paris' including the former I-SNAI, although most of them came from the French and Argentine air forces. Before being re-sold to the civil market they were refurbished and received modern avionics. The two whistling Turboméca Marboré turbojets were replaced by either a single Pratt&Whitney JT15D-4 or a Williams FJ44 turbo fan engine significantly improving top-speed and range.

In the picture: Morane-Saulnier MS.760B Paris II I-SNAI (ex N760X c/n 29 built in 1959), painted in the SNAM livery like I-SNAP (c/n 99 built in 1961) in early 'Sixries. (Paolo Stanchina Aeromedia)

(Aeromedia, May 2025)