Circumstances
On 25 November 2012 at 16:46 local time, a Cessna 172 (registration F-GEJZ) operated by a club was performing a touch-and-go landing on runway 23 at Pontoise Cormeilles-en-Vexin aerodrome. The pilot had departed with three passengers at around 16:15. After a 20-minute local flight, the pilot contacted the controller to request a touch-and-go on runway 23. On final approach, the pilot indicated that he was on the glide path in landing configuration at approximately 65 knots. Approaching the threshold, the pilot looked at the horizon and was dazzled by the sun. He did not flare, and the nose wheel struck the runway hard. The aircraft bounced multiple times before coming to a stop on the runway. The pilot then taxied to the parking area. The aircraft sustained severe damage.
Pilot Information
The pilot held a Private Pilot License (PPL) issued on 22 February 2012. He had approximately 220 flight hours, including 40 hours as pilot-in-command. He was not wearing sunglasses on the day of the accident. He stated that he did not anticipate that the sun would cause a problem and did not request a different runway from the controller. The violence of the impact dissuaded him from initiating a go-around.
Weather and Sun Conditions
The last wind reported by the controller was 210° at 10 knots with gusts to 20 knots. Sunset occurred at 17:00. At the time of the accident, the sun's azimuth was 235° and its elevation was approximately 1°. The runway QFU was 226°.
Aerodrome and ATC
The control tower's operations manual states that the controller selects the active runway considering wind and other factors such as runway length, available approach and landing aids, and the sun's position. Controllers indicated that the runway was chosen based on wind conditions and that they rely on pilots to report any sun glare. Five landings had been performed on runway 23 in the 20 minutes before the accident, and none of those pilots reported sun glare to the controller.
Conclusion
The accident was due to the pilot's decision to continue the landing while he could no longer distinguish the runway because of sun glare on short final.