What happened
The incident occurred during the final flight of a series of sales demonstrations. The flight crew consisted of a demonstration pilot in the right seat and a potential customer in the left seat. While the customer was qualified in helicopters, he possessed only 100 hours of fixed-wing experience and had not served as pilot-in-command for a fixed-wing aircraft in eight years. Under the guidance of the demonstration pilot, the customer operated the F-GLBD Dassault Falcon 20.
After completing initial maneuvers and a demonstration of the landing configuration, the aircraft returned to the local circuit. Following a successful but firm first landing, the aircraft was reconfigured for a second circuit. During the subsequent approach for a final landing, the aircraft drifted below the glideslope with an excessively high nose attitude, positioned to the left of the extended centerline amidst a right-hand crosswind.
As the aircraft neared the flare, the demonstration pilot attempted to assist with power management by placing his hand on the power lever. During this process, the power lever was moved rapidly to the fully open position. This caused the aircraft to roll sharply to the left at an angle between 20° and 30°. The demonstration pilot attempted to regain control, but the left wing tip and the outer edge of the left flap struck the ground. Following the impact, the aircraft's main wheels contacted the runway, and the aircraft veered left at an angle of approximately 230°.
The aircraft exited the runway, traveling roughly 350 metres across the grass, where it struck and destroyed part of the PAPI installation before crossing runway 30 and coming to a halt. There were zero fatalities and zero injuries among the six occupants. The aircraft was a total loss.
Findings
- The primary cause of the excursion was the unintended rapid advancement of the power lever to the full open position during the landing flare.
- The pilot in the left seat transitioned from power management to controlling the wheel, leaving the lever vulnerable to the demonstration pilot's manual pressure.