What happened
On February 13, 1998, at approximately 16:00, a Pottier P 180 S was performing a takeoff roll on runway 36 at Bourg aerodrome. During the ground roll, the aircraft veered to the right and subsequently swung 280 degrees to the left. This sudden movement caused the landing gear to collapse. A witness at the scene reported that the aircraft had attempted to take off twice before eventually exiting the runway.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the pilot's actions and the mechanical configuration of the aircraft. The aircraft is a homebuilt design equipped with a Rolls Royce O-200-A engine and features a conventional landing gear configuration. Notably, the braking system is controlled via pedals located at the top of the rudder pedals, with braking capability only available on the left side. The main landing gear is positioned significantly forward of the fuselage.
During the inquiry, the pilot stated that they attempted to correct the aircraft's trajectory using the rudder pedals but believed they may have inadvertently applied the brake pedal. The pilot, who had recently acquired the aircraft, had only completed 40 minutes of flight time on this specific type within the previous three months, having flown with an instructor to re-familiarize themselves with conventional gear operations. No mechanical anomalies were reported by the instructor during previous training sessions, and the fuel load for this flight was consistent with previous instructional flights.