What happened
On August 11, 2012, at 12:00 local time, a Robin DR400-140B, registration F-GGXK, was preparing for a flight from Les Sables-d'Olonne Talmont to Poitiers Biard. The pilot, accompanied by two passengers, lined up on runway 06. During the takeoff roll, the pilot noted a slow acceleration, which he attributed to the aircraft's high mass. As the aircraft reached rotation speed, the stall warning activated. The pilot immediately aborted the takeoff, reducing power and applying brakes.
Despite the braking attempt, the aircraft exited the runway and came to rest in a ditch approximately 50 meters beyond the runway end, after breaching the airfield's perimeter fence. The aircraft sustained heavy damage.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the pilot's actions and the aircraft's configuration during the takeoff roll. Investigators determined that the aircraft was configured with the flaps in the landing position during the takeoff attempt.
Prior to the accident, the pilot had conducted a local flight where an alternator charge warning light had illuminated. Although the pilot had been advised by club officials that this was a known intermittent fault, the pilot experienced further electrical issues on the day of the accident. Specifically, three of the four circuit breakers on the side panel had tripped. While the pilot managed to reset two, the circuit breaker for the warning light panel remained tripped.
On the day of the accident, the pilot was also managing several external pressures, including high temperatures, heavy airfield traffic involving parachutists, and the pressure to complete the flight quickly to meet a subsequent aircraft reservation. The investigation also noted that the pilot was unfamiliar with the specific reset procedure for the circuit breakers and had not consulted the flight manual regarding the electrical malfunctions.