Accident to the Fournier RF6 registered F-GADC on 19/06/2023 at Villeneuve-sur-Lot

1. History of the flight

The pilot, accompanied by a passenger, took off at 18:00 from runway 10[1] for a local flight of around forty minutes out of Villeneuve-sur-Lot aerodrome. While flying at 2,500 ft, he saw a curtain of rain to the west and decided to cut short the flight. On his return, he carried out a reconnaissance of the aerodrome at around 1,500 ft, during which he confirmed with the windsock what he had observed on the ground before setting off, i.e. a crosswind of 8 to 10 kt with gusts of up to 15 kt. The pilot joined the aerodrome circuit for a left-hand landing on
runway 10.

During the final approach, after configuring the aircraft with the flaps in the landing position, the pilot decided to increase his approach speed by 10 km/h to around 120 km/h to counter the effects of the gusts. On reaching the runway threshold, the pilot decrabbed and reduced power to perform the flare.

During the flare, the aeroplane rose about ten metres and the stall aural warning began to sound continuously. The pilot pushed on the stick to land a little further on.

The aeroplane made contact with the runway on all three landing gears and bounced three times. On returning to the parking area, the pilot noticed that the right gear had penetrated the lower surface of the wing by about ten centimetres.

2. Additional information

2.1 Meteorological information

The Agen METAR at the time of the accident gave the following information:

• temperature 30 °C;
• CAVOK;
• wind from 150° at 8 kt, varying from 120° to 190°.

The pilot indicated that when preparing the flight, he had identified a crosswind of 8
to 10 kt as well as gusts. These conditions were within the limits indicated in the aeroplane flight manual (crosswind of 22 kt maximum).

2.2 Pilot information

The 23-year-old pilot held an aeroplane Private Pilot Licence (PPL(A)). He had logged around one hundred flight hours, including three hours on the Fournier RF6 in the last three months. The pilot completed his initial training on the RF6. Since obtaining his PPL, he also flew the Robin DR400.

He indicated that for him there was no difficulty in landing with a crosswind, as he had often done so in training, including in more adverse conditions.

He explained that during the first flare, about one or two metres above the ground, the aeroplane suddenly rose about ten metres, "as if with a strong gust of wind", something he had never experienced before, and that the stall warning sounded continuously.

He explained that he thought of two options. The first was to apply full power and pitch the airplane up, but in his opinion with a high risk of stalling because of his already low speed. The second was to enter a nose-down attitude to regain speed, get out of the stall and attempt a second flare further down the runway, which was what he preferred to do.

2.3 Actions taken by the flying club

Following the accident, the flying club decided to communicate to all its members on the
following points:

• a safety sheet on the subject of "crosswinds" at the flying club;
• a reminder of the importance of the go-around;
• encouragement to repeat crosswind training flights with the instructors.