What happened
On March 7, 2024, at approximately 16:32, a Cessna 172 R (registration F-HSNO) operated by Alpine Airlines was preparing for a 15-minute sightseeing flight at the Courchevel mountain airfield. The aircraft was carrying a pilot and two passengers.
Prior to the departure, a snowplough had been deployed to clear snow from the runway edges. While the pilot was taxiing to the threshold of runway 04, the AFIS officer was actively managing several other aircraft, including three helicopters and a Civil Defence helicopter in transit. After the pilot reported being lined up and ready, the AFleS officer provided wind information and cleared the aircraft for takeoff.
As the Cessna 172 R climbed to an altitude of a few meters, it passed the snowplough, which was positioned on the left-hand side of the runway approximately 150 meters from the threshold of runway 22. There were no fatalities or injuries and no damage to the aircraft or the vehicle.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the coordination between the AFIS service and the ground operations. Investigators established that the AFIS officer's attention was heavily focused on managing potential separation conflicts between the departing aircraft and a transiting Civil Defence helicopter. Consequently, the officer had forgotten the snowplough was active on the runway and did not perform a visual scan that would have identified the vehicle.
Furthermore, the investigation found that the snowplough driver was unable to hear the aircraft's takeoff announcement because the noise from the vehicle's engine masked the radio transmission. The investigation also noted that while the operator had decided to update its winter operating procedures to close the runway during snow clearance, these new instructions had not yet been formalized in the Operations Manual and were not being strictly followed at the time of the incident.
Findings
Several factors contributed to the near-collision:
- High traffic density in the FATO area immediately prior to departure distracted the AFIS officer, leading to a loss of situational awareness regarding the runway's engagement.
- The absence of a formal system to visually indicate runway engagement on the AFIS console meant there was no physical reminder of the vehicle's presence.
- The snowplough driver was focused on driving and could not hear the pilot's radio communications due to engine noise.
- A lack of formalized, implemented procedures for snow clearance operations allowed the runway to remain open while a vehicle was operating on it.