What happened
On November 1, 2015, at approximately 17:20 local time, a Cosmos Class II ultralight (registration 68-HA) was conducting a local flight originating from the Vieux-Ferrette microlight airfield. The pilot, who was the owner of the aircraft, had intended to return to the airfield by 17:00.
While flying near the commune of Pfetter andhouse, the aircraft performed several low-altitude turns. During these maneuvers, the aircraft struck a medium-voltage power line, which triggered an electrical arc. Following the impact, the aircraft crashed into a pile of hay bales in a farmyard. The pilot sustained fatal injuries, and the aircraft was heavily damaged.
The investigation
The BEA investigation focused on the flight sequence and the rapidly deteriorating environmental conditions. At the time of the accident, a thick fog was moving into the region. While the sky had been clear earlier in the day, visibility had dropped significantly, with reports from the airfield indicating that horizontal visibility had plummeted to as little as 20 meters within a ten-minute window.
Witnesses near the crash site observed the aircraft approaching from the northwest. An observer noted that the pilot appeared to be attempting to navigate the area, performing turns over a residential property before striking the lines during a left-hand descending turn. The investigation also examined the pilot's flight experience, noting he had accumulated 40 flight hours in 2015, with 21 of those hours on this specific type within the previous three months.
Findings
The investigation established that several factors contributed to the accident. The pilot had arrived later than the planned 17:00 landing time, which would have allowed for a safer margin before the onset of evening lighting conditions. The investigation concluded that the pilot likely insisted on returning to the original destination rather than opting for an immediate landing in the countryside.
Contributing factors included:
- The delay in the scheduled arrival time.
- The close proximity of the aircraft to its intended destination during the period of deteriorating weather.
- An insufficient assessment of the rapidly degrading meteorological conditions, specifically the loss of visibility and declining light levels.