Cessna 510 Citation Mustang lands on disused runway at Paris Le Bourget (F-GMTJ)

Incident Overview On 3 November 2014 at 13:30 local time, a Cessna 510 Citation Mustang with registration F-GMTJ landed on a disused runway at Paris Le Bourget aerodrome. The aircraft was operating a private general aviation flight from La Môle to Paris Le Bourget. The pilot and one passenger were on board, and there were no injuries or damage reported. ## Flight and Approach The pilot, a 67-year-old private pilot, had been flying the aircraft for several years and held a valid type rating for the Cessna 510 with instrument rating. The approach was conducted using a VOR 25 procedure, which the pilot requested because he was not qualified for the GNSS approach. The VOR 25 approach axis was offset by 26 degrees from the runway axis, requiring a heading change near the final approach. ## Contributing Factors The pilot identified what he believed to be runway 25 from a distance and continued the approach visually, reducing his monitoring of the VOR indications. The disused runway, located between runways 25 and 27, had a similar appearance to the active runway, including a lighter concrete section at its eastern end. The pilot did not notice the yellow closed-area markings on the disused runway, which were smaller than those required for an active runway. ## Controller and Pilot Actions The tower controller observed the aircraft's position and initially thought it was aligned for runway 27 before realizing it was heading for the disused runway. The controller hesitated to request a go-around, fearing it might destabilize the pilot. The pilot, upon noticing the absence of runway markings and the presence of barriers, leveled off briefly before landing further down the disused runway. ## Safety Lessons The investigation highlighted the importance of formal runway identification, especially when the approach axis does not align with the runway axis and when the pilot has limited recent experience with the procedure. The report also noted that the controller should have considered requesting a go-around at any point before touchdown if a danger was perceived.