What happened
On October 27, 2014, an instructor and a student pilot were conducting a training flight in a Humbert Aviation Tetras (identified as 33-AMP) near the Courpignac aerodrome. After departing from Montendre Marcillac, the crew decided to fly north of the airfield to avoid interfering with a faster aircraft following them. During the flight, the instructor initiated an engine failure drill by reducing power to idle at approximately 1,500 feet, instructing the student to maintain a best glide speed of 90 km/h.
While descending toward a selected field, the crew identified an electrical power line positioned before the landing site. The student pilot, focused on avoiding the wires, adopted an excessively high pitch attitude. Although the instructor instructed the student to correct the aircraft's attitude, the student failed to react. As the student initiated the final right-hand turn, the ultralight entered a stall, leading to a collision with the ground. The aircraft sustained heavy damage, but there were no fatalities.
The investigation
The BEA examined the flight profiles, the experience levels of both pilots, and the psychological factors influencing the student's performance. The investigation noted that the student pilot had 15 hours of flight time and had previously experienced a collision with power lines while flying a paramotor. The instructor, a highly experienced pilot with 2,300 hours on the Tetras, had failed to monitor the aircraft's airspeed during the maneuver.
Findings
- The student pilot experienced an unconscious fixation on the electrical lines, likely driven by the apprehension of a previous power line strike experienced during paramotor flight.
- The student's failure to respond to the instructor's verbal commands contributed to the loss of control.
- The instructor's lack of airspeed monitoring prevented the timely intervention necessary to prevent the stall.
- The aircraft was not equipped with a stall warning device, and its stall speed in a clean configuration was 72 km/h.