What happened
On September 10, 2011, a Piper PA19 Super Cub, registered F-BOMC, was performing a local flight with one passenger when it approached Montluçon Domerat aerodrome for landing. During the base leg of the approach, the pilot observed that the windsock indicated calm conditions. As the aircraft transitioned to short final, it remained stable at an indicated airspeed of 57 mph.
The pilot executed a three-point landing on runway 29. However, immediately upon touchdown, a sudden gust of wind lifted the aircraft, causing it to tilt and drift toward the left. The left wing subsequently made contact with the ground. The aircraft then entered a 180-degree turn before coming to a halt on the runway. The aircraft sustained heavy damage.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the meteorological conditions and the pilot's handling of the aircraft. While the initial wind was reported as 5 knots from the southeast, instantaneous gusts reached 12 knots. The pilot had elected to use runway 29 rather than runway 11, following local procedures that favor runway 29 due to its proximity to nearby urban areas, and because the wind appeared light.
Investigators examined the pilot's experience, noting that the pilot held a PPL(A) obtained in May 2010 and had a total of 71 flight hours. Crucially, the pilot had only 7 hours of experience on this specific aircraft type, with only 20 minutes of flight time recorded the day before the accident. Furthermore, the pilot's experience with conventional gear aircraft was limited to these 7 hours.
Findings
- The pilot was caught off guard by a sudden strengthening of a quartering tailwind that had not been identified during the approach.
- The aircraft's conventional landing gear made it particularly sensitive to the tailwind component.
- The accident was likely due to a lack of technical proficiency in managing the aircraft type during unstable wind conditions.