01/07/2026
In 1986, a daring and meticulously planned prison break captivated France. A woman, determined to free her husband, flew a rented helicopter to La Santé Prison in Paris, where her husband, Michel, was serving a sentence for armed robbery. What made this escape even more extraordinary was that she had earned her private pilot’s license specifically for this mission.
On the day of the escape, she piloted the helicopter to the prison, where Michel climbed onto the roof and boarded the aircraft. Within minutes, they were airborne, making their getaway as guards scrambled to respond. The helicopter, which had been flown in under the guise of a routine flight, touched down shortly after on an athletic field in southern Paris.
From there, the couple quickly escaped in a waiting car, leaving authorities stunned and the public in awe of the audacity and precision involved in the operation. Despite a massive manhunt, the couple managed to stay at large for a period, cementing this bold escape in criminal history.