What happened
On April 24, 2004, an Urban Air Lambada UFM 13 ultralight, identified as 31-BH, was conducting a local flight from the Toulouse Bourg-Saint-Bernard aerodrome. The aircraft, operated by a local club, was carrying a pilot and one passenger.
During the return to the airfield, the pilot entered the traffic pattern to land on runway 30. While on final approach, the pilot deployed the air brakes fully and maintained a speed of 110 km/h, as recommended by the manufacturer. During the short final phase, the pilot found the aircraft below the desired glide path and applied a slight increase in power using the micrometric throttle system.
As the aircraft reached the flare, the airspeed was too high. The aircraft made initial contact with the runway on the main gear but subsequently bounced. During this maneuver, the pilot released control pressure and failed to sufficiently reduce the engine power. Consequently, the aircraft entered a nose-down attitude, causing the nose gear to strike the runway. The pilot was able to taxi the aircraft back to the parking area.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the pilot's control inputs during the landing flare and the configuration of the aircraft. Investigators noted that the pilot experienced difficulty adapting to the specific control layout of this ultralight, specifically the ergonomic arrangement of the stick and the throttle.
Following the incident, other pilots operating the same aircraft noted a tendency for the aircraft to veer off course, requiring rudder corrections to maintain the taxi centerline. This indicated that the impact had caused structural or alignment issues with the landing gear.