What happened
On Tuesday, August 24, 1999, at 17:05, a Robin DR 400-140 B, registered F-GAOA, was returning to Chavenay aerodrome following a 90-minute flight from Deauville. The aircraft, operated by a flying club, was on a passenger flight with three persons on board.
As the aircraft entered the landing circuit on a downwind leg, the pilot attempted an approach to the unpaved runway 24. During the landing sequence, the aircraft bounced several times. On the final bounce, the aircraft made a three-point touchdown, which caused the nose gear to collapse. The impact rendered the aircraft uncontrollable, leading it to veer off the left side of the runway before coming to a halt.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the circumstances of the touchdown and the flight parameters during the final approach. Meteorological conditions at the time of the accident were reported as CAVOK with a light wind from 240° at 0-6 knots. The pilot, who held a flight permit since 1980 and had accumulated 536 total flight hours, provided information regarding the approach dynamics.
Findings
The investigation established that the primary cause of the accident was an unstabilized final approach. The pilot reported that the aircraft was maintained at an excessive speed during the final approach and that the flare maneuver was performed too high, directly contributing to the series of bounces and the subsequent structural failure of the nose gear.