What happened
On the evening of March 14, 1999, a Robin DR 315, registered F-BRZB, was conducting a solo cross-country flight from Limoges to Châteauneuf-sur-Cher. During the flight, the student pilot became lost and was unable to determine his position. As sunset approached and the fuel gauge indicated approximately 20 liters of remaining fuel, the pilot elected to perform a precautionary landing in a field near La Guerche-sur-l'Aubois. The landing resulted in no damage to the aircraft.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the pilot's disorientation and the operational state of the aircraft's instruments. It was established that the pilot, a trainee with 60 total flight hours, had only completed six solo navigations and was flying this specific route for the first time. The investigation also examined the technical condition of the aircraft's heading indicator, which had been exhibiting intermittent stability issues that previous maintenance attempts had failed to permanently rectify.
Findings
- The pilot experienced a malfunction of the heading indicator during the flight, which contributed to his disorientation.
- To compensate for the faulty instrument, the pilot relied on the magnetic compass, a technique practiced during his training.
- The primary cause of the incident was the operation of an aircraft equipped with a defective navigation instrument.
- Low fuel levels and the approaching sunset acted as contributing factors to the decision to land in a field.