What happened
On June 9, 2018, a Robin DR400-120, registration F-HACV, took off from the Cuers-Pierrefeu aerodrome in France for a discovery flight. The aircraft was operated by Aéroclub du Var and carried a pilot and two passengers.
During the initial climb, as the aircraft passed the end of the runway at approximately 125 km/h and below 300 feet, the engine RPM abruptly dropped to idle despite the throttle being at full power. The pilot, noticing the drop, lowered the aircraft's attitude and checked the throttle position. After transmitting a distress message, the engine power unexpectedly increased.
Attempting to maintain altitude while performing a low-altitude circuit to return to runway 11, the pilot entered a left turn toward the crosswind leg. At this point, the engine power dropped again, falling below idle. Despite multiple attempts to adjust the throttle, the engine failed to recover. The pilot performed a forced landing in a nearby vineyard, specifically choosing a patch of vines without metal supports to avoid obstacles. The aircraft struck the vines and the ground with a high vertical velocity, resulting in the destruction of the aircraft and one passenger injured.