What happened
A flight originating from Ostend Airport in Belgium was traveling toward a private airstrip at Château La Chassagne, situated approximately 21 km west of Dijon-Longvic Airport. The initial portion of the journey was conducted under Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) without incident. Upon receiving clearance to proceed under Visual Flight Rules (VFR) toward the destination, the pilot cancelled the existing IFR flight plan and received permission to descend toward runway 36.
At the time of the descent, weather conditions included rain, a visibility of 10 km, and a ceiling of 800 feet. While the minimum safe altitude for the area was 3,300 feet, the pilot notified Air Traffic Control of an intention to descend to runway 18 before departing the frequency. During the descent, the aircraft type struck the southeast slope of Mt Afrique in the Corcelle-les-Monts region at an altitude of 1,700 feet. The wreckage was located within a forested area, and the accident resulted in four fatalities.
Findings
- The aircraft was operating in weather conditions featuring low ceilings and rain.
- The impact occurred at an altitude significantly below the established minimum safe altitude for the area.