What happened
On Friday, February 26, 1999, a Piper PA 28-180 Archer, registered F-BVUJ, was conducting a flight from Perpignan to Montpellier. During the flight, the pilot decided to return to Perpignan due to deteriorating weather conditions.
While attempting to land on runway 13, the pilot perceived that the aircraft was below the required glide path. In an attempt to extend the approach, the pilot applied back-pressure on the controls to pitch the nose up. This maneuver resulted in a loss of control and an aerodynamic stall. The aircraft subsequently made a hard landing, traveled approximately 100 meters along the runway, and exited the paved surface to the right.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the flight sequence during the final approach and the pilot's corrective actions. The investigation established that the aircraft was operating under visual meteorological conditions with visibility exceeding 10 km and winds from 100 degrees at 10 knots. The crew consisted of the pilot and three passengers.
Findings
- The primary cause of the accident was inappropriate trajectory corrections during the short final phase of the approach.
- The pilot's attempt to compensate for being below the glide path through excessive pitching led to a stall.
- The landing resulted in damage to the right aileron and the main landing gear.