History of the Flight
On 29 November 2024, at approximately 15:30 local time, a Robin DR400-140B registered F-GLDN collided in flight with an ATEC 122 Zephyr microlight identified as 44APT at Lunéville-Croismare aerodrome. The DR400, operated by Aéroclub de Lorraine, was on a revalidation flight with an instructor, a pilot, and a passenger (the pilot's son). The microlight, privately operated, was on a local flight with a pilot and a passenger.
The DR400 departed at 14:40, conducted a touch-and-go at Nancy-Essey airport and handling exercises, then entered the downwind leg for paved runway 09. After a go-around due to an occupied runway, the instructor directed a climb to 3,000 ft for a practice forced landing and transmitted a radio message. The occupants believed no other aircraft were in the circuit.
The microlight departed at 14:50, flew south over several points of interest, then returned to Lunéville. The pilot overflew the aerodrome at about 1,300 ft, joined the downwind leg for runway 09, and transmitted radio messages. Hearing no responses, he assumed he was alone in the circuit.
Both aircraft were on final approach to runway 09: the microlight with a standard 3° slope, the DR400 with a steeper 7° slope as part of the practice forced landing. They collided approximately 20 m above ground and 200 m from the runway threshold. Security camera footage showed the DR400 stalling and impacting a rubble-filled field. The instructor and the pilot's son evacuated with assistance from first responders; the pilot was injured and evacuated. The microlight pilot heard a loud noise and experienced total engine power loss but maintained control, landing on the adjacent grass runway 09R. After taxiing to the hangar, he spoke with emergency services and realized a mid-air collision had occurred.
Aerodrome Information
Lunéville-Croismare is an uncontrolled aerodrome without a dedicated radio frequency. The air-to-air frequency is 123.500 MHz, shared with neighbouring aerodromes and unrecorded. The aerodrome has two parallel runways: a paved runway 09/27 (1,040 m x 20 m) and a grass runway 09R/27L (750 m x 75 m). The standard circuit altitude is 1,800 ft (1,000 ft above aerodrome level).
Meteorological Information
The METAR for Nancy-Essey airport at 15:30 reported wind 050° at 8 kt, CAVOK, temperature 7°C, QNH 1029 hPa. Météo-France estimated similar conditions at the accident site.
Aircraft and Damage Information
The microlight sustained substantial damage. Contact marks from the DR400's propeller were found on the engine cowling, part of the engine, and the left wing. Damage to the engine included severed electrical cables, ignition units, an attaching point, and the fuel manifold, explaining the immediate power loss. Tyre and impact marks were visible on the fuselage and left wing. The tailplane, canopy, and landing gear remained intact, and flight controls were operational. The microlight's radio was set to active frequency 125.500 MHz and standby 120.700 MHz; testing on 123.500 MHz confirmed normal operation.
The DR400 was destroyed. The wreckage lay on a pile of marble rubble about 170 m before the runway threshold, oriented nose-down with a steep left bank and the left wing partially folded under the fuselage. Paint transfer was observed on the front tyre tread and sidewall. Damage to the propeller blades and tyre was attributed to the collision; other damage resulted from ground impact. The GNSS unit (Garmin GNS430) recorded last active COM frequency 123.500 MHz and standby 119.605 MHz.
Estimated flight paths indicate a side collision with the DR400 above and to the right of the microlight. Neither aircraft suffered major structural failure, but the collision caused the microlight's engine to stop and the DR400 to lose control and hit the ground.
Pilot Information
The DR400 instructor, aged 71, held aeroplane, glider, and microlight licenses with over 3,500 hours on aeroplanes, mostly DR400s in instruction. He stated that the pilot handled radio communications and that he announced the practice forced landing. He was unaware of any microlight on approach and noted frequent spurious transmissions on 123.500 MHz. At about 20 m height, he suddenly saw the other aircraft from below and had no time to react. He remarked that a steep approach limits visibility below.
The DR400 pilot, aged 56, held a pilot license since 1990 and had about 800 flight hours. He reported making all circuit join announcements and that the instructor declared the practice forced landing. On short final at 125-130 km/h, he saw an aircraft appear below, pulled the stick, and turned left, causing a stall and impact. He did not recall hearing radio calls about conflicting traffic.
The microlight pilot, aged 63, held an aeroplane license since 1978 (500+ hours) and a microlight certificate since 2010 (500+ hours). He also served as a military air traffic controller. He monitored several frequencies before selecting 123.500 MHz on return. He made radio announcements for approach, overhead, downwind, base, and final. He heard other transmissions but did not specify hearing the DR400's calls. The radio selection interface was located on the passenger side.