Jodel D140 F-PNIV Incident at Val Thorens Altisurface

Incident Overview and Flight Details On March 17, 2014, at approximately 12:00 local time, a Jodel D140 aircraft with the registration F-PNIV was involved in an incident at the Val Thorens altisurface in France. The aircraft was operated by a club for a general aviation training flight. The flight crew consisted of a student pilot and an instructor. The aircraft sustained minor damage during the event. ## Flight Sequence and Landing The student and instructor departed from the Méribel altiport for a training flight. After approximately 30 minutes of flight time, the student pilot approached for a landing on runway 10 at the Val Thorens altisurface. The aircraft made initial contact with the snow to the right of the runway centerline. The crew was unable to steer the aircraft back toward the centerline, causing it to slide further to the right. During this slide, the right wing struck several metal posts located at the edge of the altisurface. ## Personnel Qualifications and Testimony The instructor held a Commercial Pilot License (CPL(A)) and was qualified for mountain operations with both wheels and skis. At the time of the incident, the instructor had a total of 1,026 flight hours, including 717 hours as pilot-in-command and 270 hours as an instructor. The student pilot held a Private Pilot License (PPL(A)) with 369 total flight hours and held site authorization for the Méribel altiport. According to the instructor, the aircraft passed slightly below the glide path during the final approach due to an excessive reduction in power. This caused the aircraft to drift to the right. The instructor noted that being below the glide path made it difficult to visually identify the runway centerline. The aircraft touched down and bounced to the right of the centerline in an area with a slope to the right. ## Site and Weather Conditions The Val Thorens altisurface features a 400-meter by 20-meter snow runway with a regular profile of 8% and a steeper slope at the threshold of runway 10. The right side of the altisurface has a slope to the right in the direction of landing. The area is marked by metal posts anchored in concrete blocks, with a non-linear alignment and a narrowing of the posts primarily on the right side near the middle of the runway. Estimated weather conditions at the time of the incident included a wind from the north at 10 knots and clear visibility (CAVOK). ## Conclusion and Safety Lessons The difficulty in identifying the runway centerline led the student and instructor to land to the right of the axis. The aircraft then slid on a section with a slope to the right, and the crew was unable to correct the deviation, resulting in a collision with the metal posts. The large groomed area may have created the illusion of a runway much wider than the 20 meters specified in the altisurface documentation.