What happened
In the early hours of 4 January 2020, a Mooney M20J, registration F-OIAT, crashed near Lifou-Ouanaham airport in New Caledonia during a private night VFR flight. The flight, which included the pilot and three passengers, departed from runway 12 shortly after midnight. Witnesses near the airfield observed the aircraft gain altitude and execute a left turn toward the northeast before it disappeared from view due to the darkness. Shortly thereafter, witnesses heard the engine noise grow louder and faster, followed by the sound of a high-energy impact with the ground.
The aircraft struck a clearing of rocky ground approximately two kilometers east of the airport. The impact occurred with a near-vertical, nose-down attitude, causing the aircraft to be destroyed. All four occupants of the aircraft were fatally injured.
The investigation
The BEA investigation examined the aircraft wreckage, meteorological conditions, and the pilot's flight history. Investigators found that the landing gear was retracted and the flaps were in the takeoff position at the time of impact. The engine was still delivering torque upon collision.
Analysis of the pilot's records showed he was an experienced pilot with 3,000 total hours, but he had very limited recent experience in night VFR operations and possessed no instrument rating. Furthermore, the pilot's medical condition, characterized by hyperopia and presbyopia, was noted for its potential to impair adaptation to low-light environments. Investigators also noted that while the presence of ethanol was found in the occupants' bodies, the exact origin—whether from ante-mortem consumption or post-mortem formation—could not be definitively determined, though evidence of alcohol at a nearby residence suggested prior consumption.
Findings
- The flight was an improvised night VFR mission following a social gathering.
- During the initial climb, a left turn deprived the pilot of external visual references.
- The aircraft likely experienced an asymmetric stall due to improper attitude management.
- The pilot's lack of instrument flight training and limited recent night flying experience contributed to the loss of control.
- Diminished visual adaptation to the dark, exacerbated by the pilot's physiological vision limitations, played a role in the accident.