Accident to the Morane Saulnier MS887 registered F-BVLI on 21/08/2024 at Sauviac

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 statement. This information has not been independently validated by the BEA.

1. History of the flight

The pilot was carrying out a circular flight out of Bazas private aerodrome (LF3321). He was accompanied by an adult and two children. The flight was scheduled to last 30 min. After a flight time of 25 min, when the pilot was on the return leg at less than 10 km from the aerodrome and at an altitude of 900 ft, he perceived strong vibrations coming from the engine compartment. In order not to damage the engine mount and airframe, the pilot decided to carry out an emergency landing in an accessible field situated on the LH side of the aircraft. He shut down the engine by setting the mixture to idle cut-off and extended the flaps. On very short final, one of the aircraft wings came into contact with the top of a tree situated at the edge of a field. The pilot managed to keep control of the aeroplane and landed in the field.

During the landing run, the nose gear and main landing gear ruptured on passing over a ditch.

2. Additional information

2.1 Pilot information

The 72-year-old pilot held a PPL(A) obtained in 2004. He had logged a total of 675 flight hours, including 500 hours as pilot-in-command. On the day of the occurrence, he had logged 215 hours on the aeroplane.

His recent experience was 12 hours in the previous 3 months including 4 hours 30 minutes in the previous 30 days. The day before the occurrence, he had flown F-BVLI  for 3 hours 30 minutes.

2.2 Aircraft information

The MS 887 registered F-BVLI was a single-engine aeroplane of metal construction. It was manufactured in 1973 and had been acquired by the flying club in 2004. It was equipped with a 125-hp Textron Lycoming O-235 F2A engine.

The total operating time of the engine since its last general overhaul was 1,720 h. The manufacturer had fixed its TBO[1] at 2,000 h. If this limit is not reached after an operating time of 12 years, the engine manufacturer advises replacing it.

The day after the occurrence, the club started disassembling the aeroplane’s wings in order to transport the airframe by road. During this operation, 20 litres of fuel were drained from each wing[2]. It was also observed that there was no resistance in the propeller when turning it manually.

The later disassembly of the engine by the flying club mechanic revealed the rupture of rod No 3 and the rupture of the crankshaft. During this disassembly operation, the quantity of oil collected was sufficient to ensure the correct lubrication of the engine.

 Figure 1: condition of crankshaft and rod No 3 after disassembly (source: flying club)

2.3 Maintenance information

The maintenance of the aircraft was carried out by the flying club mechanic who held a Part 66 licence. A 50-hour routine inspection had been carried out 15 days before the occurrence. During this inspection, the mechanic’s examination of the drained oil and the lubrication system strainer did not reveal the presence of metal chips. Furthermore, the mechanic declared that the oil consumption was within the standard window[3] and that the recent engine compression measurement had given satisfactory values, compliant with the engine manufacturer’s recommendations.

2.4 Meteorological information

At the time of the occurrence, the METAR for Bordeaux-Mérignac airport situated at 30 NM indicated: METAR LFBD 210930Z AUTO 02006KT 350V060 CAVOK 21/12 Q1022 NOSIG

2.5 Airspace information

Bazas private aerodrome is situated under area LF-R115 B the floor of which is fixed at 1,000 ft AGL.

The AIP indicates that this zone is used for specific defence activities such as air-to-ground firing, parachuting and bombing.

The pilot specified that, given the frequent activation of this zone, he was accustomed to flying below the altitude of 1,000 ft in the vicinity of the aerodrome, and that because of this, he was in the habit of identifying accessible fields, should he need to make a precautionary landing.

3. Safety lessons

Given the altitude of the flight, the pilot’s only option was to carry out an emergency landing. Despite not having more than one minute to prepare and carry out this off-aerodrome landing, the pilot’s rapid and appropriate reaction effectively limited the consequences of this occurrence. His habit of identifying accessible landing areas in case of an emergency also contributed to this emergency landing having a positive outcome. 

In the scope of Threat and Error Management (TEM), it is important for pilots to be aware at all times during the flight, of the areas suitable for a precautionary landing in the event of an engine failure.

November 2024