What happened
On the morning of December 23, 2011, an instructor and a student pilot departed from the paved runway 13 at the Nakut/Takoin ULM platform in New Caledonia for a training flight. Following several circuits, the crew decided to utilize an unpaved, secondary runway oriented to the northeast. After the student successfully completed a touch-and-go maneuver, the aircraft proceeded on a subsequent approach.
During the final approach, the instructor maintained his left hand on the control stick to ensure rapid response capability. At an altitude of approximately 30 meters, the instructor inadvertently pressed the electric deployment button located on the stick, causing the flaperons to extend fully. This action caused the EKOLOT JK05 L Junior to bank left while descending. Although the instructor attempted to regain control, the aircraft's trajectory could not be corrected, leading the left wing to strike the ground and causing the aircraft to come to rest on its back. The aircraft, registration 988-GC, was destroyed in the impact.
The investigation
The investigation established that the crew was aware of a mechanical issue regarding the flaperon attachments, which were not properly secured. During a previous flight with the same instructor, the crew had noted significant handling difficulties when the flaperons were extended beyond 15 degrees. Consequently, they had decided to limit deployment to 15 degrees for this flight. However, no repairs had been performed to secure the attachments, and no preventative measures were implemented to prevent the accidental deployment of the flaperons via the control stick button.
At the time of the accident, the student pilot had accumulated 50 total flight hours, with 20 hours specifically on this aircraft type. The instructor was a highly experienced pilot with approximately 6,000 total flight hours, including 25 hours on the EKOLOT JK05 L Junior.