Accident to the Cessna F172 registered F-HAOS on 11/04/24 at La Ferté Gaucher

This is a courtesy translation by the BEA of the Final Report on the Safety Investigation. As accurate as the translation may be, the original text in French is the work of reference.

Note: the following information is principally based on the pilot’s statement. This information has not been independently validated by the BEA.

1 History of the flight

The pilot was carrying out a triangular cross-country flight[1] out of Meaux-Esbly aerodrome[2] (Seine-et-Marne). After carrying out two touch-and-go manoeuvres on a paved runway at Fontenay-Trésigny aerodrome (Seine-et-Marne), he headed towards La Ferté-Gauche aerodrome where there is no activity. After carrying out an overhead reconnaissance, he joined the circuit in order to carry out a touch-and-go on preferred runway 22[3].  After the wheel touchdown and when the pilot had just cut off the carburettor heating and set the flaps to the take-off position, the nose gear sunk into the sodden ground. Due to the sudden deceleration, the aeroplane nosed over for a few seconds and then fell back onto its main landing gear. The pilot evacuated the aeroplane and observed that the aircraft’s nose gear had dug a furrow in the ground over around twenty metres.

Figure 1: photo taken just after the accident (Source: pilot)

2 Additional information

2.1 Pilot information

The 41-year-old pilot obtained his Private Pilot Licence (PPL(A)) in 2014. He had logged a total of 175 flight hours, including 82 hours as pilot-in-command. He had flown 150 hours on aeroplanes with a tricycle landing gear. He had been a member of the flying club since 2018.

His last solo flight had been at the end of June 2023. He had then stopped his aeronautical activity for personal reasons. The day before the accident, he had carried out a dual-control instruction flight with the flying club’s head of training. This flight which lasted one hour was performed with F-HAOS. During this flight, the pilot had carried out two touch-and-go manoeuvres on the paved runway at Coulommiers  aerodrome (Seine-et-Marne).

This pilot did not know La Ferté-Gaucher aerodrome and had never landed there. He had just flown over it one year previously during a dual-control instruction flight.

2.2 Aerodrome information

The VAC chart for La Ferté-Gaucher aerodrome indicates that its use is restricted. Aircraft not based there can only access the aerodrome after the pilot has obtained a one-off authorization from the aerodrome operator. The operator’s contact details are indicated on the VAC chart.

No NOTAM was in force at the time of the accident regarding restrictions of use due to the condition of the runway. The pilot declared that he had acquainted himself with the NOTAMs but had not seen on the VAC when preparing the flight, that an authorization had to be obtained to access the aerodrome.

According to him, there was no information in the signal area[4] prohibiting landing or indicating particular precautions to be taken during the landing.

The aerodrome chart produced by the FFPLUM[5] indicated that the condition of the platform could be mediocre after heavy rain. It also gave the operator’s contact details.

2.3 Authorization form information

The authorization request form drawn up by the operator includes a paragraph concerning the particular precautions to be taken when accessing the aerodrome. In particular, it indicates that after heavy rain, the runway may be very muddy or even unusable.

2.4 Meteorological information

La Ferté-Gaucher aerodrome is not equipped with a weather station. There is a Météo-France weather station in Chevru (Seine-et-Marne), located 4 NM south-west of the aerodrome. The quantity of precipitation[6] recorded by this station was the following:

• 18.2 mm[7] for the period 1 to 5 April; 
• 14 mm for the period 6 to 10 April.

2.5 Safety lessons

When preparing his flight, the pilot did not see the access conditions for La Ferté-Gaucher aerodrome indicated on the VAC chart. He therefore did not contact the aerodrome operator beforehand to inform him of his intention to fly there. This lack of prior contact with the operator meant that the pilot was not informed of:

• the particularities likely to affect the aerodrome after periods of inclement weather;
• the actual condition of the runway on the day of his coming.

The fact that a grass runway may be unfit for the aircraft run is not necessarily detectable during the overhead reconnaissance, particularly when the ground is close to water saturation but has not yet reached it.

When a manager is aware that a runway is unusable, a specific NOTAM[8] is issued to ensure that the information is properly disseminated to users.

June 2024