What happened
On May 12, 2016, a Robin DR400-120, registration F-GMKI, was performing a solo navigation flight for the purpose of obtaining a private pilot license. Upon returning to the Montpellier-Méditerranée aerodrome, the student pilot attempted to land on runway 30L.
Following the touchdown, the aircraft drifted to the left, resulting in a lateral excursion from the runway. The aircraft subsequently collided with a perimeter fence, where it came to a halt. The aircraft sustained heavy damage during the incident.
Prior to the flight, the pilot had reviewed the weather forecasts and shared them with an instructor. At the time of the landing, the weather conditions consisted of a southwesterly wind at 15 knots, with gusts reaching 22 knots. Visibility was greater than 10 km under partly cloudy skies.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the pilot's handling of the aircraft during the landing phase and the impact of the prevailing wind conditions. The pilot, who had 70 total flight hours, noted that the last wind report received from air traffic control indicated a wind of 210 degrees at 15 knots.
The pilot admitted to misjudging the intensity of the wind. He reported being surprised by the wind conditions upon touchdown and stated that he did not recall using full control inputs to counteract the crosswind effects. The investigation noted that the maximum demonstrated crosswind component for the Robin DR400-120 is 22 knots.
Findings
- The primary cause of the runway excursion was inappropriate pilot input on the flight controls during the landing roll.
- The pilot failed to adequately compensate for the crosswind component during the touchdown and subsequent rollout.