What happened
On the morning of September 29, 1993, a Dassault Falcon 10, registration F-GJGB, was preparing for a private flight from Besançon-La Vèze to Bordeaux-Mérignac. The flight was planned under mixed VFR/IFR conditions, though visibility at the time was significantly reduced by dense fog.
After taxiing and performing a turnaround in the apron, the crew aligned the aircraft with runway 24 and initiated a takeoff roll. The crew performed a rejected takeoff (stop-start acceleration) procedure. However, the aircraft failed to stop within the runway limits. The aircraft overran the end of the runway, traveling approximately 30 meters past the threshold before striking a 2.4-meter-high embankment. The impact was violent, causing the aircraft to partially disintegrate and resulting in a post-crash fire. While the passenger managed to escape through a breach in the fuselage before the fire spread, the two crew members sustained fatal head injuries during the impact.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the mechanics of the rejected takeoff and the aircraft's braking performance. Investigators examined the aircraft's maintenance records, the cockpit ergonomics, and the application of the takeoff checklist.
Technical analysis of the wreckage revealed that the nose gear and the leading-edge slats of the left wing were torn off upon impact with the embankment. The investigation also scrutinized the aircraft's emergency parking brake system and the deployment of thrust reversers. Notably, the aircraft was equipped with thrust reversers to meet US regulatory requirements because it lacked a braking parachute. Investigators also reviewed the crew's recent flight experience and the specific takeoff performance calculations for the aircraft's weight at the time of the accident.