What happened
On June 24, 2012, during an aerial display organized by a local club, a Funbi Nucleon 34 paramotor, identified as 63-AUB, was performing a local flight at the Tinlhat microlight airfield. The aircraft was carrying a pilot and one passenger.
During the final approach to the unpaved runway 36, witnesses observed the aircraft performing a relatively tight turn at a very low altitude. During this maneuver, the pod was seen rising toward the outside of the turn. As the aircraft leveled out to face the runway, the pod descended below the wing level, striking the ground violently and causing the aircraft to overturn.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the flight path during the final approach and the pilot's recent flight experience. The pilot had held a microlight license since 2006 and had authorization to carry passengers since 2010. At the time of the accident, the pilot had accumulated 270 total flight hours, including 20 hours within the previous three months. On the morning of the accident, the pilot had completed 50 minutes of flight time across three separate sorties.
Weather conditions at the airfield were reported as having light, variable winds, with few clouds at 4,000 feet and a temperature of 23 °C.
Findings
- The accident resulted in two injuries (the pilot and the passenger).
- The primary cause of the accident was the execution of a final turn at a very low altitude, which led to the pod colliding with the ground.