What happened
On Sunday, December 19, 1999, a SOCATA MS 893 A Rallye Commodore, registered F-BPBX, was conducting a flight for the purpose of extending a private pilot license. The flight originated from Avignon Pujaut and was traveling toward the La Grand' Combe aerodrome for an instructional landing.
As the aircraft approached the airfield, the pilot performed a low pass over the facilities to identify the wind direction. Upon noticing the absence of a windsock, the pilot observed ground smoke to determine the landing direction and elected to use runway 17, noting that this runway offered a clear path for a potential go-around. During the final approach, the instructor noted that the aircraft was above the glide path; the pilot responded that this was a deliberate maneuver intended to avoid downdrafts indicated on the visual approach chart.
The aircraft touched down within the first third of the unpaved runway. Following touchdown, the pilot retracted the flaps and applied braking. However, the aircraft continued down the runway, passing the end of the strip and coming to a stop against an embankment approximately twenty meters beyond the runway threshold.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the sequence of events leading to the excursion and the environmental conditions at the time of the accident. Investigators examined the runway characteristics at La Grand' Combe, noting that the runway is unpaved with a length of 700 meters. It was established that between the midpoint and the end of the runway, there is a downward gradient of approximately three percent.
Meteorological data from the Nimes Courbessac station, located 50 kilometers southeast of the site, indicated winds from 315° at 8 to 12 knots, with broken cloud cover at 1,200 feet and a temperature of 11°C.
Findings
- The aircraft sustained damage to the nose gear and propeller.
- The primary cause of the excursion was an erroneous assessment of the wind.
- The pilot's decision to use runway 17 was based on visual cues (ground smoke) rather than a confirmed wind direction from a windsock.
- The downward slope of the runway contributed to the aircraft's inability to stop before the end of the paved surface.