What happened
On January 6, 2017, a Socata TB20, registration F-GTYC, departed from runway 09 at Grenoble Isère airport to perform two circuit patterns as part of the student pilot's first supervised solo flight. During the first approach, the pilot intended to perform a touch-and-go maneuver. The aircraft was configured with landing flaps at a speed of 76 knots.
During the flare, the pilot ceased applying necessary corrections for a crosswind. Although the main and nose gears initially touched down on the runway centerline, the aircraft began to drift to the right during the landing roll. In an attempt to correct the drift, the pilot applied left rudder, which caused the aircraft to veer sharply to the left. This maneuver resulted in the aircraft exiting the runway laterally. During the excursion, the right main landing gear strut failed, and the aircraft came to a stop in the grass. The aircraft sustained heavy damage.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the pilot's actions during the landing roll and the environmental conditions at the time of the accident. Meteorological data indicated a wind from 350° at 10 knots. The student pilot had recently completed training, totaling 17 hours of flight time, all conducted under dual instruction. Prior to the solo flight, the student had performed four circuits with an instructor under similar wind conditions and had successfully practiced landings in crosswinds up to 25 knots the previous day.