Paris РFrance is treating the disappearance of test pilot Capt. Fran̤ois Duflot as a death, following three days of fruitless sea search after his Rafale fighter collided in midair with another Navy Rafale aircraft.

“François Duflot, a DGA test pilot, went missing after the accident which occurred between two Navy Rafales on Thursday Sept. 24, 2009 off the coast of Perpignan,” a statement from Laurent Collet-Billon, head of the Délégation Générale pour l’Armement (DGA) procurement office, said Sept. 28.

“All of us at the DGA, and in particular the personnel at the flight test center, are very moved and touched by the loss of this distinguished pilot, who leaves behind him a wife and three children,” the statement said. “All our thoughts are with his family and loved ones. François Duflot belonged to the teams of the DGA which make up the pride and renown of our institution.”

The authorities called off an extensive search by ships and aircraft late Sept. 27 after failing to find any trace of Dufflot.

Dufflot had almost 5,000 flight hours on 34 different aircraft, including more than 80 combat missions. He joined the DGA flight test center at Istres, southern France in 2002, testing the Rafale and helping in its development to the F3 standard.

The collision occurred around 6 p.m. Sept. 24 as the two Rafale pilots were returning to the Charles de Gaulle carrier after test flights for validation of catapult procedures. The other Rafale pilot, Capt. Yann Beaufils, was picked up by helicopter from the sea after the crash.