What happened
On February 28, 2013, an instructor and a student were conducting a flight training session departing from the Cervens ultralight airfield in France. The objective of the flight was to practice the flare technique. During the fifth circuit around a field that was not intended for landing, the student pilot initiated the flare.
As the Savannah ultralight, registration 74-RU, reached approximately 1.5 meters above the ground, the student applied forward pressure on the elevator control. This action caused the aircraft to strike the snow-covered ground, pitch upward, and ultimately flip onto its back. The aircraft was destroyed in the accident, though no injuries were reported.
The investigation
The investigation established that the field used for the maneuvers was covered in approximately 15 cm of hard, frozen snow. The instructor, a highly experienced pilot with 6,000 total flight hours, admitted to being distracted by a text message on his mobile phone during the final approach. Because of this distraction, he was unable to intervene and correct the student's control input.
Investigators also noted that the student, who had significant experience in hang gliding, had developed a habit of pushing the control bar forward during the flare—a technique used in hang gliding. While this habit had been progressively corrected in previous sessions, it resurfaced during this flight. Furthermore, the training pattern involved performing flares that were systematically interrupted by go-arounds at very low altitudes rather than completing full landings.
Findings
- The instructor's decision to conduct exercises that did not align with proper landing and flare training principles.
- The instructor's lack of vigilance and overconfidence, specifically regarding the use of a mobile phone during the approach, which prevented timely intervention of the student's improper control input.