What happened
On October 10, 2004, at approximately 14:45 local time, a private Mooney M 20 TLS, registered PH-SYR, crashed near Villers-le-Lac, Switzerland. The flight was the final leg of a day-long journey that had begun in Calvi, France, with a planned destination of Mönchengladbach, Germany.
After refueling at the Eplatures airfield in Switzerland, the pilot and one passenger departed on runway 24. The pilot's flight plan involved navigating toward a radio beacon located north of the airfield in French territory. Shortly after takeoff, the pilot reported passing the village of Les Brenets at 6,000 feet. However, while other pilots at the airfield were performing low-altitude local flights to the east to avoid worsening weather, the aircraft headed west into a zone of increasing cloud cover. An air traffic controller observed the aircraft flying toward a clearer area before it disappeared behind clouds.
At approximately 14:45, a witness nearby heard the sound of breaking branches and metal, discovering the wreckage in a grove of trees. The impact resulted in two fatalities and the total destruction of the aircraft.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the wreckage, which was located approximately 4 NM northwest of the Eplatures airfield at an altitude of 3,500 feet. Analysis of the debris showed the aircraft struck the vegetation in a nose-down and right-banked attitude. While a post-crash fire destroyed the engine, cabin, fuselage, and part of the right wing, investigators found no technical anomalies in the wreckage that could explain the accident.
Meteorological data revealed visibility of 9 km with scattered clouds at 600 feet and broken layers at 1,500 feet. At the time of departure, low clouds were observed clinging to the hills north of the airfield. The pilot, a 67-year-old owner with approximately 200 flight hours, held a private pilot license but was not instrument rated.
Findings
- The pilot encountered adverse weather conditions while navigating around local terrain.
- The aircraft entered clouds, leading to a loss of external visual references.
- The pilot lost control of the aircraft at a low altitude.
- The decision to continue the flight despite deteriorating weather conditions was a significant contributing factor.