What happened
On January 12, 2014, a student pilot was conducting his first solo navigation flight as part of his PPL training. Flying a Jodel DH25 and immatriculé F-POKD, the pilot departed from Poitiers-Biard with the intention of performing a touch-and-go at Niort Marais Poitevin before returning to his home base.
Upon arriving at Niort, the pilot observed a windsock indicating a south wind, which presented a significant crosswind component. After observing another aircraft landing on the paved runway 07, the student decided to follow the same pattern. During the landing roll, the aircraft encountered a wind gust immediately after touchdown. This caused the aircraft to veer sharply to the right, exiting the paved runway and entering the adjacent grass area. The impact caused the left main landing gear to collapse and a wooden propeller blade to break, resulting in heavy damage to the aircraft.
The investigation
The investigation examined the aircraft's mechanical condition, the meteorological data, and the pilot's training progress. Investigators noted that the aircraft, a tailwheel type, had a maximum demonstrated crosswind component of 15 knots. At the time of the accident, the wind was measured at approximately 13 knots from 160 degrees.
Interviews with the instructor revealed that while the student had performed several crosswind landings under dual instruction recently, the instructor had not advised the student to use the unpaved runway, which might have been easier to manage given the wind conditions. The instructor also noted that the student's training progress had been somewhat slow due to the inherent difficulties of mastering tailwheel aircraft.
Findings
- The primary cause of the accident was insufficient control of the aircraft during a crosswind landing in a tailwheel-configured airplane.
- The instructor's overconfidence in the student's abilities.
- The instructor's underestimation of the meteorological conditions for a solo student flight in a tailwheel aircraft.
- The presence of irregular wind gusts during the landing phase.
- The student's decision to proceed with the landing on the paved runway despite the crosswind.
- The lack of a coordinated strategy between the instructor and student regarding alternative landing options if conditions at the destination were difficult.
- The choice of the paved runway, which is more challenging for this aircraft type during crosswind operations than an unpaved surface.