History of Flight
The pilot departed Lens Bénifontaine at 15:25 with the intention of picking up three friends at Vitry-en-Artois for a leisure flight. After landing on runway 30 at Vitry-en-Artois, he took off again around 16:00 with the three passengers, planning to overfly the coast and stop at Dieppe. Approaching Dieppe, visibility deteriorated, and the pilot returned directly to Vitry-en-Artois.
On arrival, he overflew the windsock twice but had difficulty judging wind direction, estimating the wind at about 15 km/h from 250° to 300°. He joined a left-hand downwind leg for runway 12. On the final turn, he felt a gust of wind pushing the aircraft downward. The aircraft dropped, banked left, and pitched nose-down. The pilot reduced power, leveled the wings, and pulled up before hitting the ground.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The aircraft struck the ground in a nearly horizontal attitude in an obstacle-free ploughed field. The landing gear broke off when traversing deep furrows. The aircraft came to rest about 250 m from the threshold of runway 12. No technical anomalies were found; the altimeter was set to QFE, flaps at 10°, carburetor heat control pushed in, right throttle levers bent and at idle, and engine fuel supply was normal.
GPS and In-Flight Photos
GPS data showed the pilot flew over the windsock twice before joining the downwind leg. He performed two circuits; the accident occurred on the final turn of the second. Average calibrated airspeed on downwind was 140 km/h on the first circuit and 120 km/h on the second. Photos indicated the aircraft was at about 500 ft on arrival and approximately 330 ft on final, 500 m from the displaced threshold, with a bank angle of at least 35°.
Pilot Information
The 60-year-old pilot held a private pilot license issued in 1997 and had about 650 flight hours, with six hours in the previous month. He had not flown between August 2013 and September 2014. His last flight with an instructor was in November 2012. He stated he did not feel the need for a checkout flight after the break and was “very sure of himself.” He acknowledged consuming alcohol before the flight but felt unaffected.
Club Information
Club rules required a dual instruction flight for pilots who had not flown in over three months, and a key delivery system enforced this. After moving premises in August 2014, the key system no longer worked. The club also required pilots to be physically and mentally fit for flight.
Meteorological Conditions
At the time, nearby weather stations reported a 350° wind of 12 to 19 kt. The Lille Lesquin observation at 17:30 indicated a 350° wind variable between 320° and 020° at 13 kt with CAVOK conditions.
Alcohol Consumption
The pilot consumed alcohol during lunch and between flights. About one hour after the accident, his blood alcohol concentration (BAC) was 0.048%, estimated to be about 0.06% at the time of the accident. A BAC above 0.025% is associated with psychomotor impairment. French regulations for general aviation prohibit flying under the influence of alcohol, though no specific BAC limit is defined.