What happened
On March 14, 2014, a Mooney M20F, registration F-BOSJ, departed Toulouse-Lasbordes for a flight to Cannes-Mandelieu. Upon arrival, the pilot initiated a long final approach for runway 17. The initial landing attempt resulted in a hard touchdown and several bounces, prompting the pilot to abort the landing and enter a circuit.
During the second landing attempt, the aircraft touched down mid-runway, left of the centerline. After several subsequent bounces, the aircraft veered laterally off the left side of the runway, where the right wing struck a signpost. The aircraft sustained damage during the event. The pilot reported that the braking appeared ineffective during the excursion.
The investigation
The investigation established that the pilot was performing a solo navigation flight without the required instructor authorization. Although the pilot owned the aircraft, he had not yet passed the theoretical PPL(A) examination. His previous flight experience was limited to instructional dual-control time in other aircraft types, and he had only completed five hours of flight time in the Mooney M20F while accompanied by a second pilot.
Investigators found that the pilot believed solo navigation did not require supervision because of his ownership of the aircraft. Furthermore, the pilot had experienced a similar runway excursion the previous day during a flight between Rion-des-Landes and Toulouse-Lasbordes. Post-accident inspections of the aircraft's braking system revealed no mechanical malfunctions.