1964 Piper PA-28 Cherokee Accident at Lausanne Airport (F-BLIX)

Incident Overview and Investigation Process On 16 August 1964, a Piper PA-28 Cherokee with registration F-BLIX was involved in an accident at Lausanne airport. The Federal Commission for Aircraft Accident Investigations opened a preliminary inquiry on 17 August 1964. The investigation was conducted under the summary procedure of the Ordinance on Aircraft Accident Investigations of 1 April 1960, and the final report was approved by the commission on 7 December 1964. ## Aircraft and Occupants The aircraft was a privately owned Piper PA-28 Cherokee, registration F-BLIX, with a weight of 1,000 kg. It was operated by its owner, who held a valid French private pilot licence until 18 October 1964. The pilot had approximately 560 flight hours, including about 100 hours on the Piper Cherokee. Two passengers were on board. ## Flight History and Accident Sequence At 1127 local time, F-BLIX, arriving from Lyon, landed at Lausanne-Blécherette on runway 19. After first touching the grass runway, the aircraft rebounded and jumped several metres. The pilot released the controls, and the aircraft entered a slight nose-down attitude. On the second contact with the runway, the nosewheel collapsed, and the aircraft nosed over. ## Damage and Meteorological Conditions The occupants were uninjured. The aircraft sustained serious damage to the nosewheel, propeller, and cowling, with estimated repair costs of approximately 7,000 francs. There was no ground damage. Meteorological conditions at the time were fair but cloudy. Horizontal visibility was 15 to 20 km, the wind was from the west at 3 knots, and the cloud cover was 6/8 with a base at 2,000 metres above sea level.