Accident Overview
A twin-engine aircraft conducting an ambulance flight from Besançon to Amiens crashed shortly after a night takeoff from Besançon-La Vèze Airport. After a ground roll of 950 meters on runway 23, the aircraft lifted off but achieved a low climb gradient. It subsequently collided with trees located approximately 250 meters beyond the runway end and crashed in a wooded area, where it burst into flames. The aircraft was totally destroyed, and all four occupants were killed.
Occupants and Purpose
The flight carried two surgeons, one pilot, and one operator agent. The surgeons were en route to Amiens for a lever harvesting procedure. The 48-year-old pilot had accumulated 3,500 total flight hours, including 450 hours on the aircraft type. The company agent seated in the right seat was a professional pilot who did not hold a license for that aircraft type. He had over 4,000 total flight hours and was using the flight, with corporate management's agreement, to gain experience toward future qualification on the type.
Official Findings
The investigation was hampered by the lack of flight recorders, preventing precise determination of the chain of events. According to official findings, the causes could not be determined with precision. However, at least two scenarios were considered to explain the extended takeoff roll and low height after rotation: one involving a lack of control by the pilot due to poor elevator trim adjustment or distraction, without reaction from the pilot passenger; the other involving an inappropriate decision to seek high speed after takeoff or improvised instruction, with neither pilot aware of obstacle constraints. Contributing factors included significant obscurity, operational specificities of medical transport, and the presence of a second pilot whose status and role were not defined in the operations manual, resulting in no formal crew or task distribution.