What happened
On the afternoon of the accident, an Fokker aircraft operated by Air Rouergue departed Rodez-Marcillac Airport at 17:15 local time. The flight was a scheduled test mission intended to verify the aircraft's condition following a two-month maintenance period necessitated by previous vibration issues. The crew consisted of several members, including pilots from Air Rouergue and Air Alpes, along with engineers and a technician.
The flight plan involved a brief 15-minute procedure consisting of two circuits at an altitude of 7,000 feet near the Rodez beacon. During the approach to runway 31, the flight crew was required to level off at 4,400 feet. However, the aircraft continued its descent through the prescribed altitude and eventually collided with a mountain obscured by clouds, located approximately 17 km from the airport. The impact resulted in five fatalities and one serious injury.
Findings
Investigations into the crash identified that the crew failed to maintain the required altitude during the approach. This descent was attributed to either a failure to monitor the instruments while passing through 4,400 feet or an error regarding altimeter settings, specifically a confusion between QNH and QFE.
Several contributing factors were noted, including insufficient flight preparation and the failure to utilize the radio altimeter. The investigation also highlighted the absence of an approach card for the airfield in the cockpit and suggested that the presence of extra personnel on the flight deck may have caused crew distraction. Additionally, a center of gravity potentially outside of operational limits was considered as a factor affecting the aircraft's longitudinal maneuverability.