History of the Flight
The Aéroclub de l’Aisne had organized three introductory flights for an association on the same day. The pilot arrived at Saint-Quentin - Roupy aerodrome shortly after 13:40 and performed the pre-flight inspection before the passengers arrived at 14:30. The first flight departed from runway 14 at 14:45 with three passengers and lasted about 15 minutes. A second flight with three passengers took off a quarter of an hour later.
For the third flight, the pilot decided to use runway 04 due to a change in wind direction. He left the apron at around 15:15 with two passengers. After lining up at the threshold, he applied full power. During the take-off run, he lifted the weight off the nose wheel to assist acceleration. The initial speed increase appeared normal. Halfway down the runway, he rotated at about 90 km/h. The aircraft did not become airborne. Expecting acceleration, the pilot maintained the pitch-up attitude. The aircraft ran off the end of the runway onto a country road. The road, being higher than the runway, caused the aircraft to become airborne. It flew for about 40 meters before touching down hard and coming to a stop in a field.
Additional Information
Site and Wreckage Examination
The wreckage was located in a field about 90 meters from the end of runway 04. Run marks in the grass and at the edge of the road indicated that the aircraft had not lifted off before leaving the runway. Approximately 40 meters beyond the road, marks in the crop showed that the aircraft had traveled on its main landing gear on a heading of 30°. Damage included the nose gear, right main landing gear, propeller, and right wing. The flight controls were intact, the engine rotated freely, and ignition connections were functional. The flaps were found retracted (clean position), and examination showed that this retraction was not caused by impact vibrations.
Aerodrome Information
Saint-Quentin - Roupy aerodrome has two grass runways: 04/22 (670 m long) and 14/32 (620 m long), both 100 m wide. A NOTAM restricted the take-off distance on runway 04 to 546 m due to the presence of a country road near the end.
Meteorological Information
At the time of the accident, the Saint-Quentin weather station recorded a mean wind direction of 100° at 8 kt, with light continuous rain. About 2 mm of precipitation had fallen in the 30 minutes before the accident. The 15:00 METAR from Albert-Bray aerodrome (about 22 NM away) indicated wind from 120° at 11 kt, visibility greater than 10 km, and rain. The 15:30 METAR reported wind from 090° at 6 kt, visibility greater than 7 km (temporarily less than 4 km), and rain.
Pilot Experience and Statement
The 69-year-old pilot held a Commercial Pilot License (CPL) with 12,300 total flight hours, including 109 hours in the previous three months and 27 hours in the 30 days before the accident. He had logged 32 hours on the DR400 in the previous three months, with 7 hours in the last 30 days. He regularly conducted parachute drop operations and was an instructor at the Aéroclub de l’Aisne.
On the day of the accident, the pilot reviewed the weather via METAR but did not complete a weight and balance sheet or calculate take-off performance. He performed the pre-flight inspection and carried out the first two flights without incident. For the third flight, he did not conduct a before-take-off briefing and did not recall using a checklist. During the take-off, he felt the acceleration was normal. After rotating, he anticipated further acceleration as in the previous flights. He later stated that he teaches students to abort the take-off if speed is insufficient at mid-runway; for this flight, the speed at mid-runway was slightly below the rotation speed specified in the flight manual.
Aircraft Information
The aircraft, a Robin DR400-160 (registration F-GABZ), is a four-seater with tricycle landing gear powered by a 160 hp Lycoming O-320-D2A engine. Its empty weight is 610 kg, and maximum take-off weight is 1,050 kg. The flight manual specifies rotation at 100 km/h with flaps in the first detent, followed by level acceleration, then climb at 125 km/h.
At the time of the accident, the estimated take-off weight was 931 kg with a moment arm of 0.43 m, within the approved envelope. According to the flight manual, with flaps in take-off position and rotation at 100 km/h, the required take-off distance on a grass runway is about 600 m, with a required run distance of about 340 m. Performance calculations with flaps retracted are not provided in the manual.
Procedures
The pilot lifted the nose wheel during the take-off run to aid acceleration. This practice is recommended for soft runways in the ENAC VFR Instructor Guide. However, the DR400-160 flight manual (Section 4.7) advises against lifting the nose wheel to aid directional control. No specific soft runway procedure is given in the flight manual.
Introductory Flight Information
The introductory flights were organized by the flying club and an association for passengers who were not club members. They were conducted for remuneration. Regulations stipulate that such flights are local, last no more than 30 minutes, and remain within a 40 km radius. The pilot must have at least 200 flight hours since licensing and 25 hours in the previous 12 months. A safety risk assessment and procedural documentation are required.
Conclusions
The investigation concluded that after two successful introductory flights from runway 14, the pilot attempted a third from runway 04 with two passengers. The required take-off distance on grass with flaps in take-off configuration was about 600 m. Two factors likely degraded performance: wet grass from a recent shower and the flaps being probably retracted. The pilot rotated early, further increasing the required distance. The aircraft overran the runway and became airborne only after crossing a raised road, then landed hard.