What happened
On August 27, 2016, at approximately 19:30 local time, a pilot was conducting engine ground runs at a private airfield in Lussac, France. Having recently completed engine maintenance on his Air Création Safari GT BI 447 (registration 86-CN), the pilot began a series of taxi tests. During a southbound run on unpaved runway 19, the aircraft lifted off the ground, reaching an altitude of approximately five to ten meters.
After only a few seconds of flight, the aircraft experienced a sudden leftward tilt. The left wingtip struck the ground in an adjacent cornfield, causing the aircraft to pivot violently. The forward section of the airframe impacted the ground with significant force. The pilot was killed in the accident, and the ULM was destroyed.
The investigation
The BEA examined the wreckage and the airfield environment. The investigation found that the propeller debris was distributed symmetrically, indicating the engine was delivering power at the time of impact. No technical failures were identified in the aircraft's components.
The airfield's runway 19 features a downward slope from north to south, with a significant change in gradient approximately 200 meters from the threshold. Investigators also reviewed the pilot's credentials and flight history. While the pilot held a weight-shift microlight license obtained via equivalence from a legacy fixed-wing license, witnesses indicated he had almost no practical experience operating this specific type of aircraft. One witness, an experienced microlight pilot, had flown with the deceased just days prior and noted that the pilot lacked the necessary skills to control a weight-shift aircraft.
Findings
- The pilot attempted to extend ground engine tests into an actual flight without the necessary proficiency in weight-shift microlight handling.
- The pilot may have been caught by surprise by the aircraft's behavior after liftoff, potentially applying control inputs to the control bar that were contrary to the required maneuvers for a weight-shift aircraft.
- The aircraft's takeoff occurred on a downward-sloping runway, which may have led to an unintended liftoff if the pilot failed to manage power effectively.
Safety action
- Although not legally required, it is recommended that pilots who obtained their microlight licenses via fixed-wing equivalence prior to the year 2000 fly with an instructor to validate their ability to operate specific microlight categories.