What happened
On February 25, 2009, at approximately 10:45 local time, a Jodel D119 amateur-built aircraft, registered F-PPPD, was involved in a ground accident at Pierrelatte aerodrome. The pilot had completed seven circuits involving touch-and-go landings and had just performed a full landing on the unpaved runway 36.
After stabilizing the aircraft on the runway at an estimated speed of 10 km/h, the pilot attempted a 180-degree turn to taxi toward the parking area. To manage the wind conditions, the pilot initially positioned the control stick into the wind and toward the rear. As the turn was completed and the stick was returned to the neutral position before being moved forward, a sudden wind gust caused the tail of the aircraft to lift. This resulted in the aircraft tipping onto its wing and subsequently flipping onto its back, causing heavy damage to the airframe.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the pilot's control inputs and the prevailing meteorological conditions. At the time of the accident, the wind was reported as 360° at 10 knots, with gusts reaching 20 knots. While the pilot noted that the wind had not been problematic during the preceding flight circuits, the gust encountered during the ground turn proved critical.
Investigators also examined the pilot's experience and familiarity with the aircraft type. Although the pilot was highly experienced with over 4,000 total flight hours, they primarily operated tricycle gear aircraft. The pilot had only recently returned to flying the Jodel D119 (a taildragger) within the last year, with only four hours of experience on this specific type.