What happened
On May 12, 2005, a Dyn’aéro MCR-4S 2002, registration F-PFJR, departed from the Bar-le-Duc airfield bound for Plessis-Belleville. Shortly after takeoff from runway 06, the aircraft headed west. An eyewitness observed the aircraft performing a turn to the left approximately five kilometers west of the airfield, heading back toward the east. The aircraft subsequently struck the ground in a fallow field roughly 700 meters northeast of the runway, at the start of the crosswind leg for runway 0'6. The impact caused the aircraft to catch fire.
The investigation
The investigation examined the wreckage, the flight path, and the pilot's medical history. The aircraft, an amateur-built four-seater powered by a Rotax 914 F engine, had only approximately 30 flight hours at the time of the accident. Investigators noted that the pilot had personally constructed the aircraft and performed the initial flight tests.
Examination of the wreckage revealed that the aircraft struck the ground with a left wing low and a relatively low vertical velocity. The impact was distributed over a 25-meter area, with the left winglet marking the first point of impact. The engine sustained minimal damage, though one propeller blade was broken at the hub. Due to the intensity of the post-impact fire, the airframe was entirely consumed, and much of the instrumentation was rendered unusable.
Findings
- The pilot, who had approximately 12,700 total flight hours, sustained one fatality.
- The pilot had previously reported experiencing carburetor issues during the outbound leg of the flight.
- An autopsy revealed cardiovascular anomalies, though it could not be scientifically confirmed if a medical event occurred during flight.
- The investigation concluded that the pilot likely lost control of the aircraft prior to impact, though the exact cause remains undetermined due to the extent of the fire and wreckage damage. The loss of control may have been triggered by either a technical failure or a physiological event.