Accident to the Pilatus PC6 registered HB-FDU on 21/01/2025 at Maripasoula AD

The pilot was carrying out a cargo flight. He indicated that he made sure that the cargo was within the aeroplane’s load limits and, in this respect, had refused to take on board part of the cargo. During the landing, the aeroplane was close to the maximum permissible landing weight and the aft centre of gravity limit. The outside air temperature was around 30°C.

On arriving at Maripasoula, the pilot flew close to threshold 25 to observe the wind conditions. He partially deployed the flaps (four turns of the handle). He then started his descent and carried out a continuous 180° turn to align with the final approach path at a height of around 200 ft.

On final, the pilot extended the flaps close to the maximum position. He visually checked that they were correctly deployed by turning his head. When he looked ahead again, he noticed that the aeroplane’s pitch attitude was high and the speed was low. He tried to correct these parameters by increasing power but had the impression that the aeroplane was not responding as expected. At this point, the speed was below the stall speed and the pilot lost control of the aeroplane.

The nose-up torque linked to the deployment of the flaps and the centre of gravity close to the aft limit may have contributed towards the increase in the pitch attitude. The increased drag linked to the deployment of the flaps and the weight of the aeroplane close to the maximum landing weight may have contributed to the deceleration of the aeroplane and reduced the effectiveness of an input made on the power lever.