What happened
On Sunday, April 26, at 13:25, a Fournier RF 6 B-100, registered F-GANB, was conducting a local flight departing from Abbeville aerodrome. The pilot was flying over a specific area where a family member was intended to film the flight.
Witnesses observed the aircraft approaching from the north in a descending attitude. The aircraft then performed a low-altitude pass and began a climbing turn. During this maneuver, the pilot lost control of the aircraft, which subsequently struck the ground in an almost vertical trajectory. The impact resulted in the death of the pilot and the total destruction of the aircraft.
At the time of the accident, meteorological conditions were reported as having visibility greater than 10 km, with broken clouds at 2,000 feet and a southwest wind of approximately 10 knots.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the flight path and the maneuvers performed immediately preceding the impact. Investigators established that the aircraft was in a descending phase before initiating a turn while climbing, which led to the loss of control and the subsequent vertical impact with the terrain.