Accident to the Mooney - M20J registered F-OIAT on 04/01/2020 near Lifou-Ouanaham airport (New Caledonia)
Perte de contrôle, collision avec le sol après décollage, de nuit
Cat. 2 investigation report: simplified-format report, adapted to the circumstances of the occurrence and the investigation stakes.
The pilot and the passengers improvised a night VFR flight after spending some of the evening together. During climb after take-off from runway 12, turning left to the north rapidly deprived the pilot of any external visual reference. Taking into account the height reached during this turn after take-off, the noise reported by the witnesses and the position of the wreckage found near the airport with a nose-down attitude close to vertical, it is probable that the aeroplane stalled asymmetrically due to inappropriate management of the attitude. The height reached did not enable the pilot to regain control of the aeroplane. According to witnesses, it is possible that the pilot reduced the engine power just before collision with the ground.