What happened
On August 29, 2006, a Robin DR 400-140, registration F-GAHG, was performing a local flight departing from the Saint-Cyr-l’Ecole aerodrome. During the flight, the pilot decided to descend due to low cloud ceilings and light rain. Upon returning to the airfield, the pilot entered the circuit to land on the unpaved runway 30 right.
During the final approach, the pilot configured the aircraft with two flaps increments and maintained a speed of 130 km/h. As the pilot attempted the flare, the aircraft failed to make smooth contact with the runway, instead undergoing a series of bounces. An air traffic controller observed the aircraft bouncing multiple times. The impact of these bounces caused the nose gear to fail, resulting in the aircraft pitching forward onto its nose. The incident resulted in no fatalities, though the propeller was damaged and the nose gear was destroyed.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the pilot's decision-making and the physical mechanics of the landing. Investigators examined the nose gear, which showed evidence of failure following a violent impact. The investigation also reviewed the pilot's flight experience and the meteorological conditions at the time, which included light rain and visibility of 7 km.
Findings
Several contributing factors were identified in the sequence of events. The pilot had decided to proceed with the flight despite a lack of confidence in his ability to complete it safely, driven in part by the need to accumulate flight hours for license renewal. The passenger had expressed a desire to postpone the flight due to the weather conditions.
It is believed that the pilot experienced difficulty managing stress during the flight. Furthermore, as the pilot became more familiar with the airfield environment during the return, his vigilance decreased. The presence of rain further complicated the landing, as the pilot struggled to accurately judge the aircraft's height during the flare.