Accident to the Issoire Aviation APM 20 "Lionceau" registered F-GRKA on 30/05/2021 at Aurillac (Cantal)

Cat. 3 investigation report: report concerning an occurrence with limited consequences, based on one or more statements not independently validated by the BEA.

This is a courtesy translation by the BEA of the Final Report on the Safety Investigation published in August 2021. 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 statements made by the pilot. This information has not been independently validated by the BEA.

1 - HISTORY OF THE FLIGHT

The pilot, accompanied by a passenger who was the owner of the aeroplane, carried out a cross-country flight from Issoire Le Broc aerodrome bound for Aurillac aerodrome. After a reconnaissance of the facilities, noting that the wind was calm, the pilot chose runway 15 for landing[1].
On flaring, the aeroplane touched the runway hard and swerved to the right. The second touchdown occurred outside the runway, in the grass. The aeroplane came to a stop in the grass, within the runway obstacle free zone.
The nose gear was broken and the right main landing gear was damaged.

2 - ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
2.1 Meteorological information

At the time of the occurrence, the wind was calm, and the cloud and visibility conditions were CAVOK.

2.2 Pilot experience and statement

The 50-year-old pilot held a valid PPL(A) with a SEP(T) rating. At the time of the accident he had logged 102 flight hours of which about 3 hours and 30 minutes were on the APM 20. In the previous 90 days, he had flown 3 hours and 30 minutes, all on the APM 20 registered F-GRKA. He had not flown in the previous 30 days.
The pilot indicated that he had never had any particular problem with the flare technique on the different types of aeroplanes he had flown.
He also flew the DR400-180, Wassmer WA54 (180 hp) and CAP10. According to the pilot, the APM 20, which is equipped with an 80 hp engine, is underpowered compared to those aeroplanes and needs more anticipation. He had never flown with an instructor on the APM 20.
He explained that he was slightly above the slope at the beginning of the final but that the approach was then stabilized. On swerving, everything went very fast and he did not have time to counter it.
When he analysed the occurrence, he indicated that his lack of experience on the APM 20 and the fact that he had not carried out any instruction flight on the aeroplane could have been contributing factors.
He also mentioned that he had already performed landings at Aurillac, that there were no other aircraft in the circuit when they arrived, that the weather conditions were fair and that these factors could have induced over-confidence.