2022 Robin DR 400/180 accident at Flugplatz Farrenberg

Overview and Investigation Status On 15 April 2022, a Robin Aircraft DR 400/180 crashed during a local circuit flight at Flugplatz Farrenberg. The German Federal Aviation Accident Investigation Office (BFU) closed the investigation with a factual presentation only, without analysis or conclusions. The aircraft was destroyed, one person was seriously injured, and minor crop damage was reported. ## Flight and Accident Sequence The pilot had planned visual flight rules (VFR) circuit flights for training. The four-seat aircraft departed runway 10 at 17:00 local time. Witnesses observed that, after about 15 minutes of flight, the aircraft entered an opposite-direction approach to runway 28, and the pilot contacted the flight leader by radio. During the final approach, the pilot reported difficulty keeping the engine speed stable and, according to his recollection, set the throttle to maximum power to correct a descent below the desired glide path. The aircraft was observed approaching with full landing flaps extended. At the height of the tug, it was still about 15 m above the ground when the descent rate increased abruptly. It struck the ground 200 m before the runway threshold and came to rest after a further 38 m. The pilot was recovered from the wreckage with serious injuries. ## Pilot and Aircraft The 42-year-old pilot held a private pilot licence issued under JAR-FCL with a single-engine piston (land) rating. He had previously served as a jet aircraft pilot in the German armed forces and reported 362 hours on military aircraft. His last proficiency check was on 26 June 2020, and his Class 2 medical certificate, issued on 1 December 2021, was valid without restrictions until 1 December 2023. His total flight experience was about 110 hours, with 34 hours 15 minutes on the accident type. In the previous three years, he had made six flights with seven landings. The aircraft was a single-engine, low-wing, fixed-tricycle-gear, wood-constructed four-seater, registered in Germany and operated by a club. It was a 2018 Robin DR 400/180, serial number 2710, powered by a Lycoming O-360-A1P engine. At the time of the accident, its total operating time was 330 hours. The last annual inspection was on 17 March 2022, after which it had flown 15 hours. The calculated takeoff mass was 758.2 kg, including the pilot (80 kg), 60 litres of fuel (43.2 kg), and 5 kg of baggage. ## Meteorological and Operational Conditions Witnesses reported visual meteorological conditions. According to the flight leader, the wind was from 310° at 10 kt, visibility was more than 10,000 m, the ground temperature was 18 °C, and QNH was 1,023 hPa. Radio communications were conducted in German on 118.375 MHz and were not recorded. Flugplatz Farrenberg is a glider airfield with an 800 m by 30 m grass runway oriented 100°/280°, at an elevation of 2,641 ft AMSL. Runway 28 was in use at the time of the accident. ## Wreckage and Technical Findings The accident site was about 200 m before the threshold of runway 28 on the airfield. The first impact marks were associated with the nose of the fuselage, and the fuselage in its final position faced 310°. The main landing gear was torn off, the cockpit area and right wing were crushed, and the left wing was heavily damaged. The landing flaps were extended, and the tail was bent off at the rear of the fuselage and heavily damaged. The fuel selector was on the right wing tank, and the fuel pump switch was found in the “ON” position. Due to the high degree of destruction, the technical investigation was limited, and no technical defects were found. No fire occurred at the scene. The aircraft was not equipped with a flight data recorder or cockpit voice recorder, neither of which was required. A GPS-based collision warning device (FLARM) was recovered, but it had failed before the accident date and contained no flight data.