What happened
On the evening of March 19, 1998, a Cessna 152, registration F-GCYT, was involved in a ground accident at Avignon-Caumont airport. The aircraft, operated by a flying club, was returning from a night instructional flight. After landing on runway 35, the student pilot, who was acting as pilot-in-command, checked the airspeed and taxied off the runway toward the aero club parking area.
As the aircraft passed the control tower, a sudden and powerful gust of wind from the rear sector struck the plane. This wind burst caused the tail to lift, resulting in the aircraft tipping forward onto its nose.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the environmental conditions and the aircraft configuration at the time of the incident. Meteorological data confirmed that the area was experiencing high winds, with a sustained wind of 25 knots from 340° and gusts reaching 42 knots.
During the examination of the event, the occupants reported the following control settings at the moment the aircraft overturned:
- Elevator: forward position
- Ailerons: neutral
- Power: idle
Findings
- The primary cause of the accident was ground maneuvers performed during high winds.
- The aircraft sustained heavy damage as a result of the nose-over.
- The extreme wind gusts (42 knots) provided sufficient aerodynamic force to lift the empennage of the light aircraft when positioned in a rear-sector wind.