Accident Overview
On 2 January 2014, at approximately 16:00 local time, a Piper PA-28-161 registered as F-GIEJ was substantially damaged during a landing at Meaux Esbly aerodrome (Seine-et-Marne, France). The aircraft was operated by an aero club for a local general aviation flight with only the pilot on board.
Flight Sequence
The pilot departed Meaux Esbly at 15:25 for a local flight. After entering the traffic pattern, he performed a touch-and-go landing on the unpaved runway 25L. He then flew another circuit with the intention of carrying out a short landing. During short final, the pilot reported being dazzled by the sudden appearance of the sun between clouds. Believing the aircraft was stabilized and the touchdown point was on the runway, he continued the landing. The left main landing gear struck a field border approximately 30 cm high and then a fence located 25 meters before the threshold of runway 25L. The aircraft broke apart and came to rest on the runway.
Pilot Information
The pilot held a Private Pilot License (PPL(A)) since 2010 and had accumulated 227 flight hours, of which 90 hours were as pilot-in-command and 5 hours in the preceding three months. He was wearing sunglasses at the time of the event.
Weather and Sun Position
On the day of the accident, the sky was very cloudy with occasional clearings. Strong winds aloft caused changes in brightness as the sun appeared. Surface wind was from 220° at 15 to 20 knots, and visibility was greater than 10 km. The sun's azimuth was approximately 210° and elevation 13° above the horizon, placing the sun in the pilot's forward-left sector and low on the horizon, which could cause discomfort during final approach.
Aircraft Performance
The aerodrome elevation is 220 ft. According to the airplane flight manual, in landing configuration with a 10 kt headwind component and standard atmosphere, the landing distance over a 50 ft obstacle on a paved runway is 300 m. The manual does not provide a correction for unpaved runways, stating that the effect should be assessed by the pilot.
Probable Cause
The accident was due to the pilot's decision to continue the landing when he could no longer distinguish the runway because of sun dazzle on short final.