What happened
On May 20, 2000, at 10:50 local time, a SOCATA MS 893 A Rallye Commodore, registered F-BPMO, was performing a flight to the Saint-Gaudens aerodrome. While flying vertically over the airfield, the pilot observed what appeared to be hay bales located on the eastern side of runway 07. To avoid this area, the pilot decided to execute a short landing on the unpaved runway.
During the final approach, the pilot identified additional hay bales situated in the field just ahead of the runway threshold. Two of these bales, measuring approximately 1.2 meters in height, were positioned directly in the aircraft's flight path, at distances of 25 meters and 16 meters from the threshold. The pilot maintained the runway threshold as the intended touchdown point. As the aircraft progressed on short final, the left flap struck the first bale, followed by the horizontal stabilizer striking the second bale. Despite these impacts, the pilot was able to complete the landing on runway 07.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the sequence of events leading to the contact with the obstacles. Investigators confirmed that the objects identified by the pilot as hay bales were actually piles of cut grass. The investigation examined the pilot's decision-making process regarding the landing distance and the flight path chosen in relation to the obstacles present in the field preceding the runway.