What happened
On August 18, 2015, a Cessna 172, registered F-HAEC, was conducting a solo navigation flight from Toussus-le-Noble to Chartres. During the flight, the pilot encountered difficulty locating a planned navigational waypoint near Epernon. Consequently, the pilot decided to abort the navigation mission and return to the departure airfield.
Upon returning to Toussus-le-Noble, the pilot entered the traffic pattern for runway 25L. During the final approach, the pilot perceived the aircraft to be too high on the glidepath and initiated a go-around. The pilot then transitioned to the pattern for runway 25R. During the subsequent landing attempt, the aircraft experienced a bounce upon touchdown. In an attempt to correct the attitude, the pilot applied a nose-down pitch. This maneuver caused the aircraft to strike the runway on its nose gear, leading to a lateral excursion off the right side of the runway. The aircraft sustained heavy damage.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the sequence of the landing maneuver and the pilot's actions following the initial touchdown. Investigators reviewed the pilot's training history, noting that at the time of the accident, the pilot was undergoing training for a private pilot license, having accumulated 40 total flight hours, with only 2.5 hours performed solo, all in the Cessna 172.
Meteorological conditions at the time of the accident were reported as CAVOK with light, variable winds of approximately 2 knots.
Findings
- The primary cause of the accident was a landing bounce followed by an inappropriate pitch correction.
- The pilot's decision to pitch the nose down after the bounce resulted in the nose gear making contact with the runway surface.
- The pilot's approach speed on the final for runway 25R was likely excessive.