What happened
On Sunday, March 21, 2004, a Robin DR 400-160, registration F-GORH, was participating in a club flight from Sézanne to Pont-sur-Yonne. Following lunch, the instructor proposed a circuit of the airfield to allow the student pilot to practice landing in a crosswind before the return flight. After two other aircraft departed, the student pilot began a left-hand circuit.
During the final approach, the aircraft was stabilized with landing flaps extended. The student pilot landed at the beginning of the unpaved runway. To execute a touch-and-go, the pilot applied full power, retracted the flaps to the takeoff position, and engaged the carburetor heat. As the aircraft accelerated and reached rotation speed of 120 km/h, the left wing lifted abruptly, causing the right wing to strike the runway. Although the instructor attempted to take control, the aircraft's trajectory could not be recovered. The aircraft performed two partial turns on the ground, eventually coming to a stop 250 meters from the end of the runway. The aircraft was destroyed.
The investigation
Investigators examined the meteorological conditions and the flight crew's decision-making. While the instructor was aware of wind gusts, he perceived the air to be stable during the circuit. Notably, the instructor did not observe the presence of cumulonimbus clouds near the airfield. Prior to departure from Sézanne, the instructor had relied on weather information from Paris Charles De Gaulle, which indicated moderate winds but did not fully convey the severity of the localized conditions. Approximately fifteen minutes after the accident, a heavy rain shower passed over the airfield. The investigation also noted that the aircraft's flight manual specifies a demonstrated crosswind limit of 22 knots, whereas winds at the time of the accident were recorded at 11 knots with gusts between 25 and 30 knots.
Findings
- The primary cause of the accident was a loss of control during a touch-and-go maneuver due to a strong crosswind.
- The instructor made an erroneous estimation of the meteorological conditions.
- There was an excessive level of confidence by the instructor regarding the student pilot's abilities.