What happened
On May 20, 2008, a Piper PA 28-181, registration F-GCFX, departed Romorantin for a ferry flight to Marseille Provence. The flight was intended to deliver the aircraft to a maintenance facility for its scheduled 50-hour inspection. Approximately 45 minutes into the flight, the pilot established contact with the Clermont-Ferrand approach controller.
Shortly thereafter, radar contact was lost while the aircraft was at an altitude of approximately 3,400 ft. When the controller attempted to re-establish communication seven minutes later, the pilot indicated an intention to turn back and climb to FL55 to avoid entering a cloud layer. Although the controller authorized a climb to FL65, the pilot failed to respond to subsequent requests for heading information or further instructions. The wreckage was later discovered at an altitude of 2,630 ft, having struck trees on the crest of a hill.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the aircraft's flight path, the meteorological conditions, and the mechanical state of the aircraft. Investigators found that the aircraft struck trees at a height of approximately 5 m with very little bank angle. No mechanical malfunctions were identified in the wreckage that could have contributed to the impact. Four GPS units were recovered from the cabin, though it could not be determined if any were operational at the time of the crash.
Meteorological data reviewed by the investigators showed that the pilot had consulted several weather reports prior to departure. These reports indicated significant cloud cover, with bases as low as 2,200 ft in nearby Saint-Etienne. At the time of the accident, low stratus and stratocumulus clouds were present across the Massif Central, and fog was observed covering the crash site when emergency services arrived.
Findings
- The accident was caused by the pilot's late decision to turn back in an attempt to maintain Visual Flight Rules (VFR) conditions.
- The pressure to complete the ferry flight due to the approaching 50-hour maintenance limit likely contributed to the error.
- The aircraft was operating with only 3 hours and 49 minutes of remaining flight time before the mandatory inspection was required.