What happened
On Saturday, January 27, 2001, at approximately 17:30 local time, a Croses LC6 Criquet, registration F-WFLL, was performing a local private flight at the Rion-des-Landes aerodrome. After taking off from runway 23, the aircraft reached an altitude of approximately twenty meters when the pilot was suddenly blinded by the sun.
In response to the glare, the pilot immediately decided to perform an emergency landing on the runway. However, the aircraft touched down on the grassy area to the left of the runway strip. Because the ground was saturated with water, the wheels sank into the soft soil upon impact. This caused the main landing gear to collapse and the propeller to strike the ground, resulting in damage to the propeller, the engine cowling, and the main gear.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the environmental conditions and the pilot's actions during the departure. Meteorological data at the time of the accident indicated visibility greater than 10 km, with scattered clouds at 4,000 and 10,000 feet. The wind was light, coming from 180° to 220° at 2 to 5 knots.
Investigators determined the exact position of the sun at the time of the event: an azimuth of 238° and an elevation of 13°. The pilot noted that the sun was not obscured by any objects from the perspective of the ground and confirmed that he was not wearing sunglasses during the flight.