2007 Robin DR 400-140 B Mountain Accident at Luzenac

Accident Overview On 24 June 2007 at 11:20, a Robin DR 400-140 B, registration F-GKQQ, powered by a 160 hp Lycoming O-320-D2A engine, crashed near the Col de la Peyre at Luzenac (09), at an altitude of 5,740 feet. The aircraft was operated by a club and was conducting a sightseeing flight. The pilot and three passengers were on board: two adults and one child. ## Circumstances The pilot departed Toulouse-Lasbordes (31) intending to make a local flight toward the southeast. After passing the TOE waypoint at about 2,000 feet, the aircraft climbed toward 3,000 feet while heading toward the Pyrenees. The pilot wanted to show the passengers the Château de Montségur, which was visible about four nautical miles away. After about half an hour of flight, the aircraft entered a valley oriented roughly north-south. GPS data indicated the flight path passed about 500 meters west of the château. The pilot continued along the eastern side of the valley, climbing at a steadily decreasing speed. Near an east-west pass, strong downdrafts were generated by high-altitude winds from the south. The pilot found that the aircraft could no longer gain altitude and attempted a right-hand turn to reverse course. Realizing this would not succeed, the pilot began a tight left turn. The aircraft stalled asymmetrically to the left, struck the ground with a strong left bank and nose-down attitude, bounced, and came to rest on its back. A passenger alerted emergency services using the pilot's mobile phone. The emergency locator transmitter activated during the accident. ## Investigation Findings Examination of the wreckage showed the engine was producing little power and the aircraft speed was low. The flaps were found extended to 60 degrees, the landing position. No engine anomaly was found that could explain a loss of power. Calculations from the recorded flight path in the final seconds indicated the aircraft was banked about 50 degrees to the left, with a speed likely between 115 and 130 km/h. The flight manual listed a stall speed of 123 km/h with a 60-degree bank and flaps in the landing position. The pilot did not remember attempting an emergency landing and had limited experience in mountain flying, stating that he had not planned to enter the area. An ICAO 1:500,000 aeronautical chart of the region was on board. The progressive speed loss observed in the recordings was attributed to a pitch-up change during the climb, caused by loss of the natural horizon reference typical of flat-terrain flight. The pilot likely tended to align the aircraft's nose with the ridge line. ## Meteorological Conditions Estimated conditions at the accident site were wind from 100 to 140 degrees at 12 knots, visibility greater than 10 km, few clouds at 13,000 feet, temperature 20 °C, and QNH 1012 hPa. Probable downdrafts were present on the north-facing slopes. At 2,500 feet, winds were from the southwest at 20 to 25 knots. ## Pilot Experience The pilot was 37 years old, held a PPL(A) from 1990, and had 321 flight hours, all on type, with three hours in the preceding three months.