What happened
On March 24, 2001, a Colomban MC 15 Cricri, registration F-PZTI, was conducting a local flight departing from Morlaix. After approximately twenty minutes of flight at an altitude of 1,500 feet, the pilot altered course toward the east and then north, planning to return to Morlaix via the coastline.
As the aircraft approached the coast, the pilot observed low-level stratus clouds moving in from the sea, which were beginning to touch the ground in several areas. Concerned by the deteriorating visibility, the pilot decided to head directly back to Morlaix and descended to 300 feet to maintain visual contact with the terrain. As the weather continued to worsen, the pilot determined that a landing was necessary to avoid obstacles. To avoid the risk of damaging the aircraft on saturated fields, the pilot selected a section of the D786 departmental road with low traffic density to perform a precautionary landing. There were no injuries and no damage to the aircraft.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the pilot's decision-making process and the meteorological conditions present during the flight. Investigators examined the weather reports from Lannion, which indicated a wind of 040° at 5 knots, visibility of 2,000 meters, and broken cloud layers at 300 feet. The investigation also looked into the pilot's pre-flight preparations and the impact of local maritime weather patterns on the flight path.