What happened
The incident occurred during the return leg of a night reconnaissance training exercise. The crew was approaching Pontarlier Airport for landing when the aircraft experienced a mechanical failure. Specifically, the undercarriage collapsed upon touchdown with the runway surface. This structural failure resulted in the airplane crashing and coming to rest outside the designated landing area. Despite the severity of the impact, which rendered the airframe damaged beyond repair, all four members of the crew managed to evacuate the wreckage safely without sustaining injuries.
Findings
Official investigations identified the immediate cause of the accident as the collapse of the landing gear during the landing phase. The failure occurred upon initial contact with the ground, leading directly to the loss of control and subsequent crash.