What happened
A private flight departing from Strasbourg-Entzheim Airport toward Paris-Le Bourget ended in a fatal accident during the initial climb phase. The aircraft, a twin engine plane, departed from runway 23 with one pilot and one passenger on board. Shortly after takeoff, the aircraft transitioned through cloud layers twice. During this period of flight, the aircraft entered a nose-down attitude and descended into the ground approximately one kilometer from the airfield.
The impact resulted in the total destruction of the aircraft. Both occupants, the pilot and the passenger, were killed in the crash.
Findings
Investigations into the accident suggest that the crew experienced a loss of control following entry into instrument meteorological conditions (IMC). The pilot likely suffered from spatial disorientation after passing through the cloud layer only seconds after rotation. This disorientation resulted in an unstable flight path characterized by erratic changes in both altitude and heading.
Several factors contributed to this state, including the pilot's lack of qualification for IFR operations and insufficient experience flying in IMC. Additionally, investigators noted that while the pilot was aware of a malfunction in the autopilot system, the possibility that an autopilot error caused unrecoverable maneuvers cannot be entirely dismissed.