What happened
On Sunday, July 13, 1997, at 10:44 UTC, a Robin DR 400-120, registered F-GDEK, departed from Perpignan for a local flight. Despite receiving warnings from an aero-club official regarding deteriorating weather conditions along the coast, the pilot proceeded with the flight.
During the flight, the pilot reported encountering heavy cloud cover near St Laurent and indicated a change in course toward Salses, a movement confirmed by radar tracking. At 10:49 UTC, the pilot reported being inside a cloud layer and began descending to 500 feet. Radar data showed a significant increase in airspeed, rising from 110 kt to 160 kt, as the aircraft's trajectory turned due east toward the sea. Radar contact was lost at 10:51 UTC. Multiple eyewitness accounts indicated that the aircraft emerged from the cloud layer in a steep dive before striking the water approximately 300 meters from the shoreline.
The investigation
The investigation examined radar tracks, radio communications, and meteorological data. Investigators noted that at the time of the accident, local conditions at the site were characterized by zero visibility due to fog, with winds from the north at 20 kt. Radio communications between 10:44 and 10:52 UTC also revealed that two other aircraft had encountered difficulties due to the same weather conditions during the same period.
Findings
- The primary cause of the accident was the loss of visual references while flying in low-visibility conditions.
- The pilot elected to continue the flight despite being advised to limit operations to circuit patterns due to poor coastal weather.
- The aircraft was destroyed upon impact, and the pilot was killed.