What happened
On March 7, 2015, a Robin DR300-140, registration F-BSON, was performing a local flight at the Peyresourde altiport in France. The pilot, who had recently obtained site authorization for this specific airfield, was conducting a flight for family members. After an initial successful landing and a brief stop to pick up passengers, the pilot departed for a short local flight.
Upon returning, the pilot performed a reconnaissance of the airfield. To compensate for a longer landing roll experienced during the first touchdown, the pilot decided to delay the flare, aiming for a touchdown point further down the runway while maintaining a specific aim point. During the flare, the aircraft's landing gear struck a snowdrift located near the runway threshold. The impact caused the left main landing gear to break during the subsequent rollout. The left wing then scraped against the runway surface until the aircraft came to a complete stop. The occupants evacuated the aircraft without injury.
The investigation
The investigation examined the airfield conditions and the pilot's training. The Peyresourde altiport, managed by a local aero club, uses its paved surface as a parking area for tourists during peak seasons. While the runway had been cleared, snow was pushed to the edges, creating accumulations. Because heavy snow removal equipment was restricted from driving on the unpaved areas to prevent damage, the ability to clear the runway margins was limited.
The BEA also reviewed the pilot's qualifications. The pilot held a CPL with SEP, MEP, and IR ratings but had only 390 total flight hours. His site-specific training had been completed through only three dual-instruction flights and twelve takeoffs and landings at the location. Furthermore, the investigation noted that the club's instructor had performed the initial training flights despite not having the specific regulatory qualifications required to teach takeoffs and landings at this particular site.
Findings
- The pilot failed to sufficiently account for the runway environment during the landing phase.
- The aircraft was operating within a narrow safety margin due to a tight flight schedule and limited experience in the specific conditions of the day.
- The presence of snowdrifts near the runway threshold provided very little tolerance for vertical or lateral deviations during landing.
- Communication between airfield stakeholders regarding the actual state of the runway surroundings was insufficient to alert the pilot to the specific risks posed by the snow accumulations.
- The pilot's recent site qualification and limited experience in mountain operations contributed to the inability to recognize the hazard.