What happened
On Monday, June 1, 1998, at 15:30, a Bucker 131 E biplane, registered F-AZGH, was engaged in a private local flight near the Sedan aerodrome in France. The aircraft was performing aerobatic maneuvers at a very low altitude near the airfield. Following a period of level flight at low altitude, the pilot initiated a left roll. Upon completion of the maneuver, the aircraft entered a left slip. During this phase, the left horizontal stabilizer, the left landing gear, and the left lower wing struck vegetation, resulting in the destruction of the aircraft. There were two fatalities involving the pilot and one passenger.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the flight dynamics during the aerobatic sequence and the environmental conditions at the time of the accident. Investigators reviewed the pilot's experience, noting the pilot held a license since 1974 with 810 total flight hours, including 300 hours on this specific type and 65 hours of aerobatic experience since 1989. Meteorological conditions were reported as having visibility greater than 10 km, with broken clouds at 3,000 feet and winds from 190 degrees at 4 to 10 knots.
Findings
Through interviews with the pilot, the investigation established that the insufficient airspeed at the start of the maneuver prevented a safe execution of the roll. This lack of energy led to the aircraft failing to recover from the slip, causing the impact with the ground vegetation.