What happened
On 20 February 2021, during an instruction flight at Lens-Bénifontaine aerodrome, a student pilot attempted to start the engine of a Robin DR400-120, registration F-GEKT, without the instructor present. Following the pre-flight inspection, the student initiated the engine start-up sequence. Upon ignition, the aircraft began moving forward unexpectedly.
In an attempt to avoid an aircraft parked directly in front of the plane, the student applied the left rudder pedal. This maneuver caused the aircraft to veer left, resulting in a collision with two vehicles parked near the hangar. The impact caused substantial damage to the aeroplane and two vehicles, though no injuries were reported.
The investigation
The BEA investigation established that the student pilot had completed the pre-start checklists but failed to verify the position of the brake handle. The aircraft is equipped with a specific brake handle rather than foot brakes; the handle must be in a vertical position to engage the parking brake.
Investigators found that the parking brake had likely been left disengaged. A witness noted that during a previous parking maneuver, club members had manually moved the aircraft, which involved releasing the brake handle, and likely neglected to re-apply it. Furthermore, the student noted that his physical build may have obscured the brake handle from his view, and he did not consider reducing engine power during the taxiing phase.
Findings
- The primary cause of the movement was that the parking brake was not applied prior to engine start-up.
- The student pilot did not verify the brake handle position during the pre-start checklist.
- The student's reaction to the unexpected movement—steering to avoid another aircraft—led directly into the parked vehicles.
- The presence of unauthorized vehicles in the airside area contributed to the severity of the incident, as the aircraft struck cars parked near the hangar that were not on the authorized airside vehicle list.