What happened
On 23 April 2018, a student pilot was conducting solo aerodrome circuits at the Channay-sur-Lathan sports centre in France. The flight was being supervised by an instructor via radio. After completing a successful touch-and-go, the student pilot intended to perform a full-stop landing on runway 27.
As the RANS S-6ES Coyote II, identified as 57BOI, reached the short final approach, the pilot initiated a go-around. Upon applying power, the aircraft drifted left of the runway centerline. At an altitude of approximately 20 meters, the microlight adopted a steep nose-up attitude and entered an asymmetric stall. The aircraft subsequently struck the ground with a steep nose-down attitude in a field roughly 100 meters from the runway centerline. The accident resulted in one fatality.
The investigation
The BEA examined the wreckage of the 57BOI and found the airframe to be largely intact, though the forward fuselage was significantly distorted by the impact. Investigators confirmed that the engine was operating at the time of impact and that the flight control linkages were continuous.
Technical analysis of the aircraft revealed it was equipped with a high-performance "116 wing" version, which carries a higher wing loading and a higher stall speed than the standard model. While vortex generators had been installed to mitigate stall speed and vibrations, the aircraft lacked a stall warning system. The investigation also noted that the sun was positioned at an azimuth of 268°, placing it directly on the runway centerline and potentially creating a visual glare for the pilot, who was wearing non-tinted prescription glasses.