What happened
On Friday, July 4, 1997, at 17:50, a Robin ATL, registered F-GGXF, was performing circuit training at Chelles aerodrome. The flight was an instructional session involving an instructor and a student pilot. During the fourth landing attempt on runway 22, the aircraft made contact with the ground on its nose gear. This impact caused the nose wheel to detach and the nose gear assembly to collapse under the fuselage. The aircraft subsequently came to a halt approximately fifteen meters past the point of impact.
At the time of the accident, the grass runway was wet due to recent rainfall. Meteorological conditions were characterized by visibility exceeding 10 km, a cloud base of 1,400 feet, and light winds from 200 degrees at 4 knots.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the sequence of the landing and the mechanical response of the landing gear. Investigators examined the flight parameters and the state of the airfield. The instructor noted that the recovery attempt to correct the aircraft's attitude was initiated too late. The investigation also reviewed the experience levels of the crew, noting the instructor possessed significant flight time, while the student was in the early stages of dual-instruction training.