What happened
On July 22, 2008, at approximately 20:00 local time, an Avid Flyer Lite ultralight, identified as 77-AGA, was performing a local flight at Meaux Aerodrome. The aircraft, which was being operated privately, was executing a landing circuit for runway 34L.
During the final approach, the pilot reduced engine power to idle at an altitude of approximately 300 feet. At a height of roughly 40 meters, the pilot attempted to deploy the first notch of flaps. This action caused the aircraft to descend rapidly by about 20 meters. In an attempt to correct the sudden drop, the pilot retracted the flaps; however, this maneuver further increased the rate of descent. Approximately 50 meters before reaching the runway threshold, the aircraft struck the aerodrome's perimeter fence, which stands about 1.5 meters high. The impact caused the aircraft to hit the ground and come to rest on its back approximately 15 meters short of the runway threshold. The aircraft sustained heavy damage.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the pilot's actions during the final approach and the aerodynamic response of the aircraft. The pilot, who had 70 total flight hours and 51 hours on this specific model, noted that he had only performed one landing with flaps during instruction and none in the aircraft itself. The investigation also reviewed the aircraft's operating manual, which warns that low power and a high pitch attitude should be avoided during descent, as the aircraft may sink rapidly and fail to recover before impact.