What happened
On Thursday, March 13, 2003, a Piel CP 1315 Emeraude operated by a private owner arrived at La Rochelle aerodrome from Bordeaux Mérignac. After landing on runway 10, the pilot was instructed by air traffic control to proceed slightly past the taxiway exit to allow a Beech 200 departing on the runway to clear the central access path.
Upon reaching the designated area, the pilot brought the aircraft to a brief stop before initiating a right-hand turn. During this maneuver, the aircraft began to pitch forward, eventually resulting in a nose-over at a heading of approximately 160 degrees. The incident resulted in damage to the propeller and engine cowling.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the aircraft's behavior during the ground maneuver under prevailing meteorological conditions. At the time of the incident, the wind was recorded at 070 degrees with a speed of 20 to 30 knots. The pilot, an experienced flyer with over 2,000 flight hours, noted that the wind conditions had been constant throughout the morning and stated that efforts were made to use the controls to counteract the wind's impact.
However, the investigation noted that the aircraft's flight manual specifies a demonstrated maximum demonstrated crosswind component of 20 knots. The investigation established that the aircraft's movement was significantly influenced by the wind during the turn.
Findings
- The primary cause of the excursion was the insufficient compensation for wind effects during ground maneuvers.
- The prevailing wind speed of 20 to 30 knots exceeded the aircraft's demonstrated crosswind limit of 20 knots.