History of the Flight
The pilot, accompanied by one passenger, departed from Vitry-le-François Vauclerc aerodrome at around 10:20 for a cross-country flight to Semur-en-Auxois. A stopover was made at Reims Prunay to embark a second passenger, and the flight resumed at approximately 11:25. Upon arriving at Semur-en-Auxois, the pilot overflew the aerodrome to check the windsock. After observing no other traffic in the circuit, he joined the circuit for paved runway 22. During the first approach, believing he was too high, the pilot initiated a go-around and flew a second circuit. On the second approach, at a height of about one meter, the aircraft suddenly slewed to the right. The pilot applied full power for a go-around but was unable to maintain control. A wing contacted the grass runway, the nose gear sank into soft ground and failed, and the aircraft came to a stop after a few meters.
Pilot Information
The 53-year-old pilot held a private pilot license (PPL(A)) issued in February 2019. Training began in April 2017 on Jodel D-112 and DR300 aircraft. He was released to fly the Cessna 172 one week before the accident, on 22 March 2019, after three dual-control familiarization flights. Total flight experience was approximately 135 hours, with 6.5 hours in the preceding month and 4 hours on type (2.5 hours as pilot-in-command).
Aerodrome and Meteorological Conditions
Semur-en-Auxois is an uncontrolled aerodrome with two parallel runways oriented 042°/222°. The paved runway is 732 m by 25 m, and the grass runway is 620 m by 60 m. Special instructions indicate that QFU 222° is preferred due to available landing distance and that the grass runway is reserved for based aircraft. At the time of the accident, weather was CAVOK with temperature around 15°C and QNH 1027 hPa. Convection was present with thermal updrafts and downdrafts, and small-scale weak turbulence. Wind was easterly to southeasterly at 2 to 8 kt with gusts up to 12 kt in the morning, shifting to southwesterly at 3 kt with less strong gusts between 13:00 and 14:00. Météo-France analysis indicated a sudden wind direction change possibly occurring at the accident time.
Aircraft Information
The Cessna F172M is a single-engine, high-wing aircraft. Its crosswind limitation is 15 kt. The flight manual recommends using minimum flap for crosswind landings, depending on strip length. Landing performance was compatible with the available runway length regardless of flap setting. For go-arounds, the manual specifies raising flaps to 20°, then, after reaching at least 92 km/h, fully retracting them.
Investigation Findings
The BEA investigation determined that the accident involved a loss of control during a go-around, resulting in collision with the ground. The pilot had used a full flap configuration during the approach, which may have contributed to difficulties in crosswind conditions. During the go-around, he immediately retracted flaps from full to 0° without ensuring sufficient airspeed, leading to loss of roll and pitch control. The pilot's limited experience on the Cessna 172 type may have been a contributing factor.