Incident Overview
On August 31, 2019, a Cirrus Aircraft SR20 with registration F-GXYP crashed while landing at Le Mans-Arnage aerodrome in France. The local flight, operated by Aéroclub les Ailes du Maine Avions, carried one pilot and one passenger. Both individuals sustained injuries, and the aircraft was destroyed.
Flight Sequence
The aircraft took off from runway 20 around 16:30 for a local flight. Approximately thirty minutes later, the pilot initiated a touch-and-go maneuver. During the final approach, the aircraft was above the theoretical descent path indicated by the PAPI system. As the plane crossed the displaced threshold, the pilot increased pitch to align with the glide slope, causing airspeed to drop from 73 kt to 56 kt.
Loss of Control
The stall warning activated near the ground. The pilot applied significant power, reaching nearly maximum engine RPM (2,650 tr/min). This sudden increase in thrust at low speed induced a strong left roll and pitch-up moment. The aircraft regained altitude briefly before veering sharply left. The pilot lost control, and the plane struck the ground on the left side of the runway, bounced, rotated 180 degrees, and came to rest on the adjacent grass strip.
Contributing Factors
The investigation identified two main contributing factors: the sudden application of near-maximum power while at low speed, and insufficient control of the resulting engine effects. No technical failures were found in the wreckage or site examination.