Accident to the Evektor Aerotechnik EV97 registered F-HDLT on 08/06/2023 at Poitiers

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 student-pilot’s and the instructor’s statements. This information has not been independently validated by the BEA.

1. History of the flight

The planned flight was a cross-country circular flight in solo instruction, from Limoges-Bellegarde, passing via Angoulême and Poitiers.

At 11:47, the pilot took off from Angoulême-Brie-Champniers aerodrome bound for Poitiers. The pilot performed a direct approach to runway 03[1] at Poitiers and was cleared for landing at approximately 12:35. He stated that he was initially below the approach slope indicated by the PAPI. He corrected this deviation by modifying the pitch and increasing power to reach
a 3° slope. He added that his approach was stabilized at a speed of around 60 kt, with the flaps extended to the first flap detent.

He indicated that after the flare, the main landing gear wheels touched the ground hard without the stall aural warning sounding beforehand. The aeroplane bounced and rose to a height of approximately 12 ft. During the second touchdown, the nose gear touched the runway first and distorted. The propeller contacted the ground and broke. The aeroplane came to rest on the runway.

2. Additional information

2.1 Meteorological information

The Poitiers-Biard aerodrome METAR, at the time of the accident, gave the following meteorological conditions: CAVOK, mean wind from 050° at 5 kt, temperature 27°, QNH 1011 hPa.

2.2 Pilot information

At the time of the accident, the 66-year-old student-pilot had logged approximately 73 flight hours carried out in the scope of his training, including 58 hours on the Evektor EVSS. He had flown around seven hours in solo instruction including six hours in the month before the accident. He held a valid class 2 medical certificate.

The student-pilot indicated that he had never experienced large bounces during landing and that he had not known how to handle the situation.

2.3 Action taken by the instructor

The instructor, also head of training within the flying club, decided to heighten student-pilot awareness of bounced landings on the Evektor EVSS and the actions to carry out in this case.

The VFR instructor’s guide, published by the ENAC, states in the flare section of chapter 17-  Landing, that during the flare, there are several scenarios possible: in case of a large bounce, the pilot is advised to apply the balked landing procedure[2]; in case of a small bounce, to block the pitch until the aeroplane descends again then carry on with the flare manoeuvre. The pilot is warned never to push the stick forward during the flare.