History of the Flight
The pilot, accompanied by his parents, took off from Lognes-Émerainville aerodrome at 14:55 for a local flight around Coulommiers and Meaux. At 15:30, while returning at 1,420 ft, the pilot contacted the tower controller, indicating he was 5 minutes from point ECHO. The controller asked him to call back at ECHO.
At 15:33:34, at 1,220 ft, the pilot announced he was at ECHO, but the controller stated he was over the toll plaza, with ECHO 4 NM west. The aeroplane was flying over the A4 motorway in a slight descent at about 200 ft/min and 85 kt ground speed.
At 15:35:49, at 970 ft, the pilot asked if he had passed ECHO. The controller replied that ECHO was still 1 NM ahead and gave instructions for a straight-in approach to grass runway 26, then corrected to call back overhead at 1,500 ft. The pilot acknowledged.
One minute later, at 15:36:52, the aeroplane was overhead ECHO at 545 ft, having flown over the motorway bridge at a height less than 170 ft. From ECHO to the collision, the aeroplane remained stable over the A4, level or in slight descent with less than 100 ft loss, wings flat, flaps retracted, height generally less than 150 ft, ground speed about 80 kt.
At 15:37:57, the controller instructed the pilot to avoid flying along the motorway to avoid conflict with outbound traffic. There was no response.
At 15:38:05, the aeroplane flew over the first bridge of the A4/A104 intersection at less than 50 ft, then over the main bridge, before colliding with the very high-voltage power line. The controller made several unsuccessful attempts to contact the pilot before calling emergency services.
Additional Information
Examination of Site and Wreckage
The main wreckage came to rest on the median strip of the A4 motorway, about 10 m after the power lines. The left wing separated from the airframe upon collision and caught fire, burning for about 40 minutes. Four electrical cables were frayed but not broken. The power line infrastructure comprised three lines (one 400 kV, two 225 kV) with 42 cables total; two cables on the central line had aeronautical lighting visible during the day. The tops of nearby pylons were at heights of 48 m, 51 m, and 47 m, clear of vegetation and clearly visible.
Flight control linkages were continuous, flaps were retracted. The engine was not blocked and could be turned by hand; marks indicated the engine was transmitting torque at impact. No elements were found likely to explain the accident. The aeroplane was not equipped with a navigation system, and the pilot did not use any aeronautical or navigation applications during the flight.
Radio Communication Analysis
Spectral analysis showed engine speed between 2,300 and 2,400 rpm during initial exchanges, dropping to about 2,000 rpm during the last exchange. These values were consistent with manoeuvring speeds. The tone and hesitations suggested increased pilot stress at the end of the flight.
Aerodrome Information
Lognes-Émerainville is a controlled aerodrome. The circuit is flown north of facilities; the base leg for runway 26 is generally entered with a continuous right turn above the motorway bridge and the power lines where the accident occurred. The aerodrome lies below Paris Class A airspace (floor 1,500 ft). Special instructions require contacting tower at least 2 minutes before point ECHO at 1,200 ft and approaching the circuit at less than 100 kt.
Meteorological Information
Weather conditions were compatible with VFR flight. At 15:30, Paris-Orly reported wind 240° at 9 kt, visibility >10 km, few clouds at 4,000 ft, broken at 4,600 ft, temperature 21°C, QNH 1,014 hPa. The Torcy station (less than 2 NM away) recorded wind 200° at 6 kt average, peak 13 kt at 15:38.
Pilot and Passengers
The 35-year-old pilot obtained his PPL(A) in October 2023 after about 100 flight hours, including 12 as pilot-in-command. He trained on Cessna 152s and made only one cross-country to Lognes during training. Instructors described him as standard, not particularly confident but not stressed, taking time to learn. After licensing, he enrolled at an ATO at Lognes to pursue an airline career, holding a class 1 medical. He resumed flying in May 2024 with three hours of instruction on the C172 at Lognes to be signed off. The instructor covered specific characteristics of joining from the east and found the pilot confident; no problem was seen for solo flight.
The accident was his first flight since sign-off, first without an instructor since his PPL, and first as pilot-in-command with passengers. His parents had no aeronautical knowledge. Autopsy found no elements to explain the accident. Additional information indicated a complex family background, relationship problems, and beliefs that could lead to non-rational acts, but no aviation personnel reported anything unusual. No onboard recordings were available to establish a link.
Conclusions
The conclusions are solely based on information that came to the knowledge of the BEA during the investigation.