What happened
On the evening of September 14, 2023, a two-seater trike paramotor, consisting of an APCO F3 Bi wing and a Power2Fly Fenix trike, departed from the Beaulieu-sur-Loire microlight strip for a local flight. An eyewitness observed the aircraft take off in a north-easterly direction, climbing to approximately 100 meters. After following the Loire river northwest, the aircraft appeared to turn back toward the airfield as if attempting an immediate landing. Shortly thereafter, the aircraft descended rapidly, striking vegetation and the ground. The impact left the trike inverted in a ditch, with the wing caught in a nearby tree. The pilot and one passenger both sustained fatal injuries.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the mechanical condition of the aircraft and the flight configuration. The aircraft, which lacked an official identification mark, was powered by a Bombardier-Rotac 447 engine. Investigators examined the wing, the trike structure, and the engine mount. While the engine showed no signs of failure and the propeller was rotating at the time of impact, the BEA identified significant welding defects and fatigue cracks in the trike's structure, specifically near the engine mount and the cage retaining arms. Additionally, investigators noted asymmetric adjustments in the wing's trims and A-assist lines, though it could not be definitively determined if these asymmetries existed prior to the crash or were caused by the impact or post-crash handling.
Findings
Several factors may have contributed to the loss of control. The presence of pre-existing fatigue cracks and welding defects in the trike structure could have led to an in-flight rupture of a weld, potentially causing the engine to shift and destabilizing the aircraft's center of gravity and thrust. Furthermore, the investigation could not rule out that the aircraft was improperly configured, such as an asymmetric attachment of the wing to the trike, which would have compromised flight controllability. While the exact cause of the final descent remains undetermined, the pilot may have been attempting to land urgently due to a perceived malfunction.