Left main landing gear fire during taxi at Clermont-Ferrand

Incident Overview On 8 July 2012, a Robin DR400-140B registered F-GGJU, operated by a club, experienced a fire involving the left main landing gear while taxiing at Clermont-Ferrand Auvergne aerodrome. The aircraft was heavily damaged. ## Circumstances The pilot, accompanied by three passengers, taxied from the parking area toward the runway 26 holding point, a distance of 3,000 meters. During the taxi, the aircraft tended to drift to the left. The pilot asked the passenger seated on the right whether his feet were on the rudder pedals, but the passenger denied it. Upon reaching the holding point and stopping, the pilot noticed smoke coming from the left main landing gear. The passengers were evacuated, and the controller was notified. Firefighters responded and extinguished the fire. ## Investigation Findings Examination of the braking system did not reveal a malfunction that could have caused asymmetric braking. The rudder pedal is hinged at its base, and braking becomes effective when the upper part is pressed. Due to the passenger's large size, he probably inadvertently pressed the left brake. Before departure, the pilot had briefed the passengers on controls not to touch and the evacuation procedure. ## Weather and Pilot Experience The wind was from 240 degrees at 13 knots, variable between 200 and 260 degrees. During taxi, the wind came from the rear right sector. The pilot had 250 hours of flight time since 2007, including 25 hours on type and 2 hours in the preceding three months.