What happened
During a nighttime departure from Montluçon-Guéret Airport, a Dassault/Dornier 28 Metro entered an initial climb phase before the aircraft's nose pitched downward. The plane impacted the ground approximately 600 meters beyond the runway threshold. Following the impact, the aircraft slid for several dozen meters and collided with vegetation, which subsequently triggered a post-crash fire. There were four fatalities among the occupants of the aircraft.
Findings
Investigations into the crash focused on the flight path's downward trajectory immediately following takeoff. Evidence suggested that the Stall Avoidance System (SAS) may have activated prematurely, triggering the stick pusher at a critical altitude. The SAS mechanism on this specific airframe, as well as the design of the Metro series in general, had been subject to previous safety recommendations due to recurring technical issues.
Contributing factors included the lack of external visual references during the night flight and inaccuracies regarding the right horizon instrument. While investigators could not definitively confirm the stick pusher's role due to the destruction of the SAS components and the absence of a flight recorder, the untimely activation of the stick pusher was identified as a primary factor in the loss of altitude.