What happened
On July 1, 1997, at 20:25, a Cessna R 182 Skylane, registered F-GHKY, was involved in a runway excursion at Chaven and Chavenay aerodromes. The flight, operated by a flying club, was a local trip involving a pilot and three passengers.
Upon approaching Saint-Cyr aerodrome, the pilot encountered deteriorating weather conditions, including rain showers and a 14-knot wind from 260°. Due to the weather, the pilot lost visual contact with the runway twice. Following a missed approach, the pilot elected to divert to the nearby Chavenay aerodrome, where visibility was reported to be better.
While attempting to land on runway 29 at Chavenay—an unpaved surface—the aircraft failed to stop before the end of the runway. The aircraft's contact with the runway surface began 37 meters from the runway threshold. The aircraft eventually struck the aerodrome perimeter fence and came to a halt. The incident resulted in damage to the propeller, nose gear, and the perimeter fence, with no reported injuries.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the landing performance on the wet, unpaved surface of Chavenay. Investigators noted that the available landing distance at the time was 570 meters. According to the aircraft's flight manual, for the specific wind and temperature conditions present on the day of the accident, the required landing distance (clearing a 15-meter obstacle) on a dry grass runway would have been 513 meters, with a landing roll of 234 meters.
Findings
- The primary cause of the excursion was insufficient braking on the wet, unpaved runway surface.
- The pilot's decision to divert to Chavenay was driven by the loss of visual contact with the runway at the primary destination due to rain and wind.
- The wet condition of the unpaved runway contributed to the inability to decelerate the aircraft within the available runway length.