What happened
On Wednesday, December 22, 1999, at 16:30, a Robin DR 400-180, registration F-GGJL, was involved in a ground collision at the Saint-Cyr-l'École aerodrome. The aircraft, operated by a flying club, was taxiing behind three other aircraft toward a parking area located near a hangar.
During the maneuver, the pilot attempted to navigate a turn by applying full right rudder. When this proved insufficient to achieve the necessary turning radius, the pilot applied the right brake to tighten the turn. Finding the aircraft still deviating from the intended path, the pilot attempted to stop the aircraft by applying both brakes simultaneously. Despite this effort, the left wing of the aircraft struck the hangar door, resulting in damage to the left wing's leading edge.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the pilot's maneuvers and the sequence of braking actions taken during the taxiing process. The investigation established that the pilot was following a line of other aircraft and attempted several corrective actions to manage the aircraft's trajectory on the ground.
Findings
- The primary cause of the incident was insufficient control of the aircraft's ground trajectory.
- The pilot's attempts to tighten the turn using rudder and braking were unsuccessful in preventing the wing from striking the hangar structure.