Two PL.7s disintegrated in flight, making the vibration problem a fleet-wide safety issue rather than a minor maintenance complaint. The response included stronger wing bracing, reinforced engine mounts, and new three-bladed metal propellers. Even after modification, the type spent part of the 1930s restricted to land duties. Yet the absence of a better replacement put it back aboard Béarn at the start of the Second World War. Its return illustrates how limited procurement depth can force a navy to accept known defects when readiness demands an available aircraft.
Notable Point · 22:09-23:34
Vibration grounds the PL.7, but scarcity returns it to service
Two in-flight breakups grounded the PL.7 in 1931, leading to strengthened wing bracing, engine mounts, and propellers before wartime necessity returned it to Béarn.