Cessna 172 F-HAEC Accident at Toussus-le-Noble

Incident Overview and Flight Details On 18 August 2015 at 15:55 local time, a Cessna 172 aircraft registered F-HAEC was involved in an accident at the Toussus-le-Noble aerodrome in France. The aircraft was operated by a flight school and was conducting a general aviation training flight, specifically a solo navigation exercise. The pilot was the only person on board. The aircraft sustained heavy damage as a result of the incident. ## Flight Sequence and Accident Description The pilot departed from Toussus-le-Noble for a solo navigation flight to the Chartres aerodrome. Upon reaching the vicinity of Epernon, the pilot reported difficulty in identifying the planned navigation reference point. Consequently, the pilot decided to abort the navigation and return to Toussus-le-Noble. The pilot entered the traffic pattern for runway 25L. During the final approach, the pilot felt the aircraft was slightly high and executed a go-around. The pilot then completed a circuit for runway 25R. The pilot indicated that the aircraft was likely too fast during the final approach. Upon touchdown, the aircraft bounced. The pilot made a pitch-down adjustment, and the aircraft touched the runway on the nose gear before departing the runway laterally to the right. ## Pilot Background and Meteorological Conditions The pilot had been undergoing training for a private pilot license since March 2014. At the time of the accident, the pilot had a total of 40 flight hours, including 2 hours and 30 minutes of solo flight, all in the Cessna 172. The meteorological conditions at the time were reported as variable wind at 2 knots and CAVOK (Ceiling And Visibility OK).