History of the Flight
On 2 June 2020, around 07:00 local time, a Cessna U206 Super Skywagon, registered F-HIDZ, operated by ICARIUS AEROTECHNICS, was conducting a post-maintenance check flight after three years of restoration work. The sole pilot performed a preflight inspection and ground run, followed by an acceleration-stop on paved runway 20R with flaps retracted. After backtracking and lining up for takeoff, the aircraft accelerated to approximately 100 km/h. During rotation, with the control wheel slightly turned to the right, the aircraft began banking left. The pilot countered by turning the control wheel fully to the right, but the bank increased to 30°–40°, causing the left wingtip to contact the runway. The aircraft veered left of the runway centerline, remaining at low altitude with the wingtip dragging. The pilot applied full right rudder and reduced power by selecting Beta mode on the propeller. The aircraft came to a stop on the left side of runway 20R, and the pilot evacuated after shutting down systems.
Additional Information
Site and Wreckage
The aircraft was moved quickly to clear the runway, and ground marks were not documented. The left wing was slightly bent upward, with crushing deformation on the leading edge about one meter from the tip. All propeller blades were bent. The nose gear torque link assembly fractured at its hinge point. A subsequent workshop inspection revealed that the aileron control cables were incorrectly routed at the bellcranks in the wings.
Pilot Information
The pilot, co-director of FLY HIGH ICARIUS (the aircraft owner), held a private pilot license since 1992 and a Cessna SET class rating from November 2015. He had 3,439 flight hours, including 2,900 on turbine-powered aircraft and about 10 hours on the Cessna 206, with 2 hours 20 minutes in the prior three months. He also held a Part-66 Aircraft Maintenance License (categories A and B1) and served as deputy maintenance manager at ICARIUS AEROTECHNICS. In the absence of the maintenance manager, he was responsible for all maintenance work and post-maintenance check flights for the past 25 years.
Meteorological Information
Météo-France estimated average wind from 200° at 4 kt, CAVOK. A witness video showed calm wind during the takeoff run.
Aircraft and Maintenance Organization Information
The aircraft, built in 1965, had been involved in a 2005 accident in the UK. After incomplete repairs by a previous owner, FLY HIGH ICARIUS purchased it in 2017 for restoration, including replacing the piston engine with a turbine. The pilot oversaw the work starting March 2017. A work order was issued in January 2019. In January 2020, OSAC found Level 1 deviations, leading to suspension of ICARIUS AEROTECHNICS' Part 145 and Part MG approvals on 3 February 2020. The pilot had started installing new aileron cables before the suspension notice. After the suspension was lifted on 18 February, he prioritized other work, then resumed on F-HIDZ but stopped again due to the COVID-19 lockdown in March. He finished cable installation on 15 May 2020.
Installation of Aileron Cables
The Service Manual recommended using a guide wire to reroute cables, but the original wires were missing. The pilot was uncertain about correct routing and found the manual diagram unclear. He mistakenly reversed the outboard carry-thru cable and the outboard direct cable at the wing bellcrank. The Service Manual emphasized checking aileron movement direction. The company's flight control cable movement and tension sheet, used by the pilot on 18 May 2020, did not require checking control surface direction. The company had an inspection procedure for critical tasks, including independent inspection or re-inspection by the same person after a delay. Due to limited staff (only four of thirty-nine employees had returned), the pilot performed a re-inspection himself on 18 May but did not detect the misrouting. He signed the Approval for Release to Service, subject to a satisfactory post-maintenance check flight.
Pre-flight Checks
The flight manual's pre-takeoff check required checking flight controls for freedom and correct movement. However, the checklist used by the pilot only indicated "controls – free." At the holding point, he checked freedom of movement without looking outside to verify correct aileron direction.
Conclusions
The investigation concluded that the accident resulted from incorrect rigging of the roll control cables during maintenance, leading to loss of roll control during takeoff rotation.