Accident Details
The pilot departed Toussus-le-Noble Airport at 0810 local time on an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight to Lyon. After contacting air traffic control, the pilot was vectored for a localizer distance measuring equipment (LOC DME) approach to runway 16 at Lyon-Bron Airport. At 0907, the pilot reported being established on the localizer and was subsequently transferred to the tower controller, who cleared the aircraft to land.
At 0910, the pilot reported that he was initiating a go-around procedure. The tower instructed him to climb to 3,000 feet while maintaining a straight-in path. Air traffic control twice requested the pilot to confirm the interruption of the approach, but he did not respond. Moments later, the pilot transmitted, "Now, I'm not good at all." Shortly thereafter, the airplane crashed into a retention basin located 1,500 meters short of the runway 16 threshold. Upon impact, the aircraft burst into flames.
The aircraft was destroyed, and the pilot, who was the sole occupant, was killed.
Investigation Findings
The official investigation determined the probable cause of the accident to be a loss of control while the aircraft was approaching at a speed close to stall speed in clouds without any external visual references, during a phase of flight where the pilot encountered difficulties. Investigators were unable to determine the exact cause of the loss of control or the reason why the pilot was unable to regain control.