What happened
On Thursday, September 20, 2012, at 11:30 local time, a Piper PA-28, registered F-GFGX, was performing a flight from Albertville to Nîmes Courbessac. The aircraft was carrying the pilot and three passengers.
During the landing on runway 18R, the pilot experienced a wind gust that caused the aircraft to float above the runway for approximately 4 to 5 seconds, covering a distance of about 150 meters. The aircraft touched down mid-runway. Despite the application of maximum braking, the aircraft failed to stop within the runway limits and exited the runway longitudinally. To avoid hitting a stone wall, the pilot steered the aircraft to the right, eventually coming to a stop 75 meters from the runway threshold, positioned below the runway level near a drainage canal. The aircraft sustained heavy damage.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the meteorological conditions and the pilot's approach. At the time of the accident, the wind at the aerodrome was recorded as 10 knots from 010° with gusts up to 30 knots. While the pilot had consulted weather forecasts prior to departure, those forecasts had indicated a northern wind of only 5 to 10 knots.
On the downwind leg of the approach, the windsock indicated calm conditions, leading the pilot to proceed with the landing on runway 18. The investigation also noted that the pilot did not perform a low pass (vertical) of the aerodrome to assess the surface conditions. The runway in use, 18R, is an unpaved strip measuring 940 meters by 60 meters, with an available landing distance of 670 meters due to a displaced threshold.
Findings
- The pilot underestimated the wind conditions, failing to account for the significant tailwind component caused by the wind gusts.
- The landing was impacted by a sudden gust that induced a prolonged float during the flare.
- The decision to continue the landing rather than performing a go-around when the wind gust occurred likely contributed to the excursion.