What happened
On July 1, 2010, at 18:25 local time, a Robin DR400 aircraft, registration F-GDYK, was performing its final towing operation of the day at the Le Mans Arnage aerodrome. The aircraft was operating as a glider tug, still attached to its tow cable, and was on approach to land on the unpaved runway 20.
In an effort to clear the cable quickly and minimize disruption to airfield traffic, the pilot requested and received authorization from the tower controller to perform a long landing. During the final approach, the pilot aligned the aircraft parallel to the runway axis on the eastern side of the strip. Noticing that this trajectory would bring the aircraft too close to pilots and students positioned along the eastern edge of the unpaved runway, the pilot initiated a go-around at an estimated altitude of 20 meters, banking slightly to the right.
This sudden maneuver caused the tow cable to swing sharply downward and to the left. Although the individuals on the ground attempted to take cover by lying down, the end of the cable struck one person in the face, resulting in one person seriously injured.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the pilot's approach path and the visibility of the runway boundaries. Investigators noted that the unpaved runway 20 was 970 meters long and 80 meters wide. At the time of the accident, only the western half of this runway had been mowed, making the eastern boundary difficult to distinguish clearly.
The pilot, holding PPL(A) and glider tow qualifications, had accumulated 449 flight hours since 1991. The pilot was highly experienced in towing operations, with approximately 1,710 total towings recorded, including 12 on the day of the accident.
Findings
- The primary cause of the accident was the pilot's decision to execute an approach path that was too close to the runway edge.
- This decision was driven by a desire to optimize cable retrieval and avoid interfering with airfield traffic, but it was performed without a prior assessment of the associated risks.
- The uneven grass height on the unpaved runway likely contributed to a delayed detection of the aircraft's proximity to the runway boundary.