Incident Overview
On June 18, 2000, at 18:30 UTC, a privately operated Piper PA30 twin-engine piston aircraft, registered F-BCDC, crashed into a cornfield approximately three nautical miles west of the Muret aerodrome in Saint Clar de Rivière, France. The accident resulted in the destruction of the aircraft and the fatalities of all five people on board: one pilot and four passengers.
Flight Circumstances
The flight was part of a round trip to Île d'Yeu initiated two days prior. On the day of the accident, the aircraft departed at 16:20 UTC for the return journey under Visual Flight Rules (VFR) without a filed flight plan. The pilot, a 58-year-old holder of a Private Pilot License with Instrument Rating and over 1,100 hours of experience, was flying with four passengers who had no aviation background.
Upon approaching Muret, the pilot communicated with air traffic services and switched to the aerodrome's self-announcing frequency. He requested runway information from another aircraft in the circuit, a DR 400, before declaring his intention to make a direct approach to Runway 12. During the final approach, the pilot of the DR 400 reported that the PA30 appeared too close during their respective turns.
Technical Findings
The wreckage was found in a young cornfield with no prior contact with vegetation. The aircraft impacted the ground with high vertical speed and near-zero horizontal velocity. Examination of the cockpit revealed the landing gear extended, flaps nearly fully deployed (27°), and control surfaces locked near neutral positions due to impact forces.
Fuel analysis indicated that while the fuel met 100LL specifications, water was present in the right engine's mechanical pump, causing oxidation. Both engines were found to have been delivering insignificant power at the time of impact despite containing fuel. The left engine showed no malfunction, but the right engine's fuel system exhibited signs of water contamination.
Probable Cause Analysis
The investigation concluded that the loss of control occurred during a right turn in the final approach phase. Contributing factors included the aircraft's configuration for landing and the presence of turbulent conditions associated with strong autan winds. The specific cause of the power loss or control failure was linked to the fuel system issues, particularly the water contamination in the right engine, which may have led to an asymmetric thrust situation or complete power loss during a critical maneuver.