What happened
On December 22, 1996, a Piper PA 28-181 Archer 3, registered F-GSVA, was conducting a navigation flight between Valence, Le Puy, and Aubenas. The pilot, operating for a local club, had prepared the flight plan using meteorological information obtained via Minitel.
Upon reaching Le Puy, the pilot encountered unexpected turbulence. After performing a touch-and-go landing, the pilot continued the flight toward Aubenas as originally planned. During this leg of the flight, the weather conditions began to deteriorate significantly. In an attempt to navigate, the pilot descended and turned eastward, seeking the Rhône river for visual reference. As the situation became critical, the pilot was forced to perform a landing in a field near Usclades-et-Rieutord.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the meteorological environment and the pilot's decision-making during the flight. While observations at Le Puy-Clermont Ferrand airport at 16:00 indicated visibility over 10 km and broken clouds at 2,500 feet, conditions at the accident site were much more severe. Local conditions were estimated to have visibility between 3 and 5 km, with broken clouds at 1,000 feet and high ground obscured by clouds. Additionally, light intermittent rain was present, and the overall weather situation was actively worsening.
Findings
- The primary cause of the forced landing was the failure to take into account the actual meteorological conditions encountered during the flight.
- The aircraft sustained damage to the nose gear and a twisted propeller upon impact.
- There were no injuries to the pilot.