Incident Overview
On February 20, 2013, at approximately 15:00 local time, a ski-equipped Jodel D140 "Mousquetaire" aircraft registered as F-BNIF was involved in an accident at the Saint-Jean-d’Arves altisurface in France. The operator was identified as a club based at this location. The runway, designated as Runway 19, measured 330 meters in length by 50 meters in width and featured a 15% uphill gradient. The aircraft sustained heavy damage following the incident.
Operational Context
Prior to the accident, the pilot had completed two landings on the Sarenne glacier and two on the Saint-Sorlin glacier. During the second landing attempt at Saint-Jean-d’Arves, the pilot chose a touchdown point slightly higher than the previous one to avoid a mound located at the runway entrance. The aircraft touched down in landing configuration at approximately two-thirds of the runway length.
Accident Sequence
The pilot was unable to stop the aircraft within the available runway distance. Consequently, the plane overran the end of the runway longitudinally and collided with a small grove of trees. During deceleration, the pilot attempted to alter the trajectory using rudder inputs but failed due to low relative airspeed. Weather conditions at the site were calm winds, clear skies (CAVOK), and a temperature of -5°C, with the runway covered in snow.
Personnel and Qualifications
The pilot held 576 total flight hours, including 250 on type, with 8 hours flown in the preceding three months and 2 hours in the last 24 hours. The pilot was qualified for mountain operations with a snow extension. The passenger, a professional pilot with approximately 3,500 hours, had no prior experience flying the Jodel D140 in mountainous terrain.