Accident to the Cessna FA150 registered F-HPRE on 30/01/2023 at La Drenne
Collision with a power line en route, main landing gear torn off
The pilot and the instructor undertook a flight in weather conditions that were not suitable for a VFR flight. The purpose of this flight was to run in the engine, which had recently been overhauled.
The pilot at the controls, who had not flown for more than 18 months, wanted to upgrade his skills with an instructor. The instructor considered himself to be the pilot-in-command. He was responsible for making decisions and monitoring parameters during the engine run-in.
During the flight preparation, the pilots considered that the weather conditions were improving to the north. They did not determine a safe altitude for their flight.
The flight was performed at a relatively constant altitude, at the edge of the cloud layer. The height of the aeroplane gradually decreased from 500 ft to 100 ft due to the rising terrain.
About 30 s before the collision with the power line, the aeroplane’s altitude increased slightly, probably in response to the instructor’s request to climb. After briefly losing visual references in the cloud layer, the pilots were unable to avoid collision with the power line.