Accident Description
On 14 September 2012, at approximately 13:45 local time, a Robin DR400-160 registered as F-GRMR, operated by a club, was arriving at Cuers Pierrefeu aerodrome (Var, France) after departing Bordeaux Saucats with three passengers. The pilot intended to land for refueling en route to Figari.
During the approach for runway 29, the pilot reported experiencing some turbulence and increased the approach speed by 10 km/h. The aircraft touched down hard and immediately veered to the right without any rudder input. Despite heavy braking, the pilot could not prevent the aircraft from exiting the runway to the right. At the moment of the excursion, the pilot felt a shock from the right main landing gear and saw the aircraft tilt to the right.
Meteorological Conditions
Weather recorded at the aerodrome at 14:00 indicated wind from 210° to 240° at 3 to 10 knots, with CAVOK conditions. The pilot reported calm wind. Three other aircraft were also using runway 29.
Pilot Information
The pilot had a total of 91 flight hours, including approximately 10 hours on the DR400 type. He typically operated from Bordeaux Saucats, which has a paved runway 800 meters long and 20 meters wide—narrower than the runway at Cuers (1,983 meters long, 30 meters wide). The pilot stated he was surprised by the runway's color and found it very wide. During the flare, he felt the pitch attitude was too high but did not hear the stall warning. He reported braking symmetrically using the rudder pedals.
Runway Evidence
Examination of the runway revealed a single braking mark on the right side, inside the turn toward the runway edge. A rut was present on the runway edge.
Conclusion
The investigation concluded that the accident was probably due to an erroneous estimation of flare height and an excessive pitch attitude during the flare, leading to a hard landing. The right main landing gear brake likely locked, either as a result of the impact or due to asymmetric braking, which caused the lateral runway excursion. The perception of a wider runway than usual may have generated a sensory illusion, making the pilot think he was lower than he actually was, potentially causing him to flare too high.