What happened
On May 29, 1998, a Rockwell Commander 114A, registration G-ROKI, was conducting a private flight from Biggin Hill, United Kingdom, via Dijon-Longvic, to the Château La Chassagne airfield in France. The aircraft was carrying four occupants: the pilot and three passengers.
Upon arrival at the destination area, the pilot attempted an initial landing on runway 07 of the Mesmont microlight airfield. Following this first attempt, the pilot performed a go-around. A second landing attempt was made on runway 25. During this second approach, the aircraft touched down approximately 100 meters from the start of the runway. Approximately 4 to 5 seconds after touchdown, the pilot initiated another go-around. However, the aircraft lacked sufficient remaining runway length to complete the maneuver, striking a stone wall and a hedge roughly 30 meters from the end of the strip. The impact caused the aircraft to flip onto its back. The accident resulted in two fatalities and two injuries.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the navigation accuracy and the sequence of the landing attempts. Investigators analyzed radar tracks from Lyon - Mont Verdun, which indicated that the aircraft had deviated from its intended course, following a magnetic track of approximately 315° rather than the intended path.
Analysis of onboard video footage recorded by a passenger revealed that the engine was functioning normally throughout the sequence and that there were no signs of an in-flight emergency. The footage also confirmed that the pilot attempted the go-around after the second touchdown. Furthermore, the investigation examined the aircraft's equipment, including a damaged GPS and navigation instruments, and reviewed the airfield characteristics of both the intended destination and the Mesmont site.
Findings
- The primary cause of the accident was the misidentification of the destination airfield, which led the crew to land at the Mesmont microlight platform instead of Château La Chassagne.
- The crew failed to verify the terrain characteristics and failed to re-evaluate their identification of the airfield after the first unsuccessful landing attempt.
- Navigation errors occurred because the crew likely ceased using the GPS after departing Dijon, relying instead on visual references and instruments, which proved insufficient given the similar characteristics of the two airfields.
- The available runway length at Mesmont was insufficient for the aircraft's requirements, especially as a slight tailwind component was present during the second landing attempt.
- The failure of the pilot and the front passenger to wear seatbelts was a significant contributing factor to the two fatalities.