What happened
On Friday, August 7, 1998, at 16:30, a Socata MS 893 A Rallye Commodore, registered F-BNXL, was performing aerial work near the Royan airport in France. The aircraft was engaged in a banner-towing maneuver, flying at a very low altitude to capture a banner. During this process, the grappling hook bounced, causing the tow cable to become wrapped around the aircraft's elevator.
This entanglement caused the elevator to become jammed in a nose-down position. As a result, the pilot lost control of the aircraft, leading to a violent impact with the ground. The accident resulted in one fatality (the pilot) and the total destruction of the aircraft.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the mechanics of the banner-towing operation and the interaction between the tow cable and the aircraft's control surfaces. Investigators established that the sequence of events began when the grappler failed to secure the banner correctly, leading to the cable's unintended path toward the tail section. The investigation also noted that this was not an isolated incident, as two similar accidents involving similar mechanisms had occurred in July and August 1997.