Circumstances
The pilot, accompanied by three passengers, departed Albertville aerodrome around 10:00 local time on a flight to Nîmes Courbessac. The pilot landed on runway 18R. During the round-out, a wind gust caused the aircraft to float over the runway for approximately four to five seconds, covering about 150 meters. The aircraft touched down at the midpoint of the runway. The pilot applied maximum braking, but the aircraft exited the runway longitudinally. To avoid a stone wall, the pilot turned right. The aircraft came to a stop 75 meters from the runway threshold, on the edge of a stormwater drainage channel below the runway level.
Aerodrome Information
The aerodrome operated under self-information. Runway 18R was an unpaved strip measuring 940 meters by 60 meters, with a slight downhill slope. The displaced threshold reduced the available landing distance to 670 meters. The Aeronautical Information Publication (AIP) noted "QFU 178 preferential due to terrain."
Weather Conditions
At 11:00, the aerodrome reported mean wind from 010° at 10 knots with gusts of 30 knots. For the nearby Nîmes Garons aerodrome (10 km away), the forecast indicated wind from 360° at 15 knots, temporarily with gusts of 25 knots between 08:00 and 11:00, and later wind from 060° at 6 knots between 12:00 and 14:00. The pilot had reviewed the forecasts before the flight and noted a north wind of 5 to 10 knots. During the downwind leg, the windsock indicated zero wind, which the pilot interpreted as allowing a landing on runway 18.
Pilot Information
The pilot had accumulated 380 flight hours, of which approximately 300 were on the Piper PA-28, and about 8 hours in the preceding three months. The pilot did not conduct an overhead join of the aerodrome.
Damage
The aircraft was heavily damaged.