What happened
On April 7, 2001, a Diamond HK 36 Super Dimona, registration F-CHQE, was performing a local flight near the Fayence aerodrome. The pilot, acting as an instructor, was seated in the right seat with a passenger on board. As the aircraft approached runway 28, the pilot executed a glider-style approach, deploying the air brakes during the final leg.
During the flare maneuver, the aircraft struck the ground with excessive force. The impact caused damage to the propeller, the nose gear, and the engine cowling. At the time of the accident, the weather conditions included winds from 250 degrees at 20 knots with gusts up to 30 knots, and visibility exceeding 10 km.
The investigation
The investigation was conducted using information provided by the pilot and the passenger. Investigators examined the pilot's recent flight history and control inputs during the landing phase. It was noted that the pilot had recently transitioned to this specific aircraft type, having completed his first flight in the Diamond HK 36 Super Dimona only a few days prior to the accident.
Findings
- The primary cause of the hard landing was a confusion between the air brake control and the elevator control.
- The pilot, accustomed to glider operations, reacted instinctively to the aircraft's sudden sink rate by pushing forward on the control stick with his left hand. In a glider, the left hand is used to operate the air brakes, and the pilot's reflexive action was an attempt to regain lift using a control logic inappropriate for this motor glider.
- A contributing factor was the pilot's low experience on this specific aircraft type, having flown the model for only approximately three and a half hours prior to the event.