What happened
On July 30, 2015, a Tecnam P2008, registration F-HDMV, was performing local flight circuits at Lognes-Emerainville aerodrome. During the initial circuit, the pilot encountered turbulence while flying over hangars on short final, leading to an unstabilized approach and a subsequent go-around. Following two successful touch-and-go maneuvers, the pilot attempted a fourth circuit.
During this final approach, the aircraft experienced a significant increase in airspeed. The aircraft touched down with excessive energy, resulting in a bounce. The pilot attempted to apply power to initiate a go-around, but the aircraft struck the runway a second time. This second impact caused the nose gear to collapse due to structural overload, and the aircraft came to a halt on the runway.
The investigation
The investigation focused on flight data recovered from the aircraft's Garmin G3X glass cockpit displays. Analysis of the parameters revealed that during the fourth circuit, the indicated airspeed increased abruptly from 58 knots to approximately 69 knots at an altitude of 100 feet. This excess speed was not sufficiently dissipated during the flare, leading to the bounce.
Investigators also examined meteorological conditions and aerodrome layout. Wind data showed significant direction shifts, varying from 310° at the start of final to 200° on short final. The investigation noted that the presence of hangars near the runway threshold creates a known risk of turbulence during west or south-southwest winds. Furthermore, the pilot's attention was noted to be divided, as another aircraft was on a parallel final approach on the paved runway at the same time, causing the pilot to consider separation concerns.
Findings
- The primary cause of the accident was the continuation of an unstabilized approach.
- The approach became unstable due to turbulence caused by hangars on short final and rapid changes in wind direction.
- The pilot likely failed to recognize the instability during the fourth circuit because of preoccupation with maintaining separation from a parallel aircraft.
- The nose gear failure was the result of structural overload during the second touchdown.