2012 Robin DR 400-120 accident near Royan-Médis (F-GGJO)

Accident Overview and Aircraft Details On 29 November 2012 at 15:00 local time, a single-engine piston aircraft, a Robin DR 400-120 with registration F-GGJO, was damaged during an emergency landing near the Royan-Médis aerodrome in France. The aircraft was powered by an AVCO Lycoming O-235 engine rated at 120 horsepower. The flight was a local training flight operated by a club, involving an instructor and a student pilot. ## Flight Sequence and Emergency Landing The aircraft departed Royan-Médis for a training flight related to the renewal of the student's single-engine piston (SEP) class qualification. After a touch-and-go landing on runway 28, the instructor simulated an engine failure during the climb at approximately 500 feet. At around 250 feet, the instructor interrupted the exercise and instructed the student to resume the climb. When the student advanced the power control, the engine remained at idle. The instructor took control, declared a real engine failure to the tower, and landed in a freshly plowed field. After a short rollout, the aircraft came to rest on its nose. ## Damage and Investigation Findings Examination of the landing gear tracks in the soil indicated that the nose gear sank deeply into the ground for about ten meters before breaking. Post-accident examinations of the aircraft did not reveal any malfunction that could explain the engine power loss. The student reported that during the initial climb, the instructor had pulled the carburetor heat control and reduced the throttle while announcing a simulated failure. Due to obstacles to the south, the student turned north to select the field for the emergency landing. The instructor stated that he had verified the electric fuel pump was operating before the simulation and that the chosen zone was the only suitable emergency landing area after a runway 28 departure. ## Personnel and Weather Conditions The instructor had a total of 8,390 flight hours, including 1,620 hours as an instructor and approximately 400 hours on type, with 11 hours in the preceding three months. The student had 150 flight hours since 2007, all on type, with 6 hours in the preceding three months, and their license had been invalid since 2009. Weather conditions at the time included a wind from 350° at 12 knots, visibility of 9,999 meters, scattered clouds at 1,700 feet, broken stratocumulus at 3,000 feet, a temperature of 6°C, a dew point of 0°C, and a QNH of 1012 hPa.