What happened
On May 24, 2017, a Jodel D140E equipped with skis, registered F-BOPZ, was conducting a training flight from Annemasse to the Glacier du Tour altisurface. The flight involved a student pilot and an instructor. After performing a reconnaissance of the landing site, the crew completed an initial landing on the glacier, performed a turnaround, and landed a second time.
During the subsequent turn to the left to align for takeoff, the aircraft began to skid to the right toward the northern edge of the runway. Despite the student pilot increasing engine power and the instructor immediately taking control of the aircraft, the crew was unable to maintain the trajectory or return to the runway centerline. The aircraft continued its skid toward a crevasse, struck rocks below the slope, and eventually came to a stop in the snow. The aircraft was destroyed in the accident.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the sequence of events during the takeoff alignment and the environmental conditions at the time. The investigation established that the aircraft was operating on a 500-meter runway on a glacier covered in snow. Meteorological conditions at the site were reported as CAVOK with a north to north-east wind of 10 to 15 knots.
Findings
- The primary cause of the accident was the loss of control during the turn to align for takeoff, which resulted in a lateral skid toward the edge of the runway.
- The aircraft's movement toward a crevasse and the subsequent impact with rocks were driven by the inability to recover the flight path once the skid began.