What happened
On May 31, 1998, at 19:20, a Jodel D 119 was performing a flight arrival at the L'Isle-en-Dodon aerodrome. The aircraft, registered F-PKXC, was on final approach to runway 11. During the landing roll, the passenger took control of the aircraft with the pilot's consent, intending to maintain the aircraft's alignment with the runway.
During this maneuver, the aircraft veered to the left before performing a ground loop to the right. The impact resulted in the aircraft being heavily damaged.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the sequence of events during the landing roll and the actions taken by the occupants. The crew consisted of the pilot and one passenger. The pilot held a private pilot license issued in 1993, with 551 total flight hours, including 33 hours on this specific type and 14 hours within the three months preceding the accident. The passenger was 78 years old and held a pilot license issued in 1958, though his instrument rating had expired in January 1997.
Findings
- The primary cause of the accident was inappropriate control inputs during the landing phase.
- The passenger attempted to correct the aircraft's path during the landing roll, which led to the loss of directional control.
- Meteorological conditions at the time were favorable, with visibility exceeding 10 km and light easterly winds of 2 to 5 knots.