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Accident to the plane BRM AERO Bristell B23 registered F-HHJP on 21/06/2024 at Abbeville

Hard landing, bounce, rupture of propeller

Responsible entity

France - BEA

Investigation progression Closed
Progress: 100%

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

1. History of the flight

The pilot took off from runway 31 of Touquet airport for a cross-country flight bound for Abbeville aerodrome. The runway in use at Abbeville was runway 31[1]. The pilot configured the aeroplane and, on long final, selected a speed of between 64 and 67 kt. He specified that the recommended speed was 66 kt. A flex-wing microlight landed just before him on runway 31.

According to the pilot’s estimations, the wind was blowing from between 220° and 270° at 5 to 10 kt. The Météo France weather reports indicated a wind from 270° of 12 kt with gusts at 18 kt.

The pilot landed on the first third of the runway. The aeroplane touched down hard and bounced.

After the impact, the pilot shut down the engine and switched off the magnetos and battery. He let the aeroplane run on taxiway C where it came to a stop. The pilot observed that one of the composite wood propeller blades had been torn off.

Figure 1: position of aeroplane at standstill and close up of propeller (source: flying club)

2. Additional information

2.1 Pilot information

The 66-year-old pilot held a private pilot licence obtained in June 2022. He had logged approximately 290 flight hours including around 20 hours on the Bristell B23. The pilot stated that he flew between 40 and 80 hours a year.

In the preceding three months, he declared that he had flown 19 hours on the Bristell B23 out of a total of 39 flight hours and 11 hours in the previous 30 days.

The pilot indicated that the wind conditions at Le Touquet and Abbeville were similar,
i.e. LH crosswind. According to the pilot, these wind conditions at the two aerodromes
were common.

2.2 Aircraft information

The Bristell B23 is a LSA category aircraft. It is equipped with a 100-hp ROTAX 912 engine and a three-blade composite wood propeller manufactured by MT Propeller.

According to the Bristell B23 flight manual, the demonstrated crosswind limitation is 15 kt. A manufacturer note specifies that, “The stated cross wind component may or may not be limiting. Actual use of the airplane in high crosswind condition is subject to pilot skill.”

November 2024


[1] Unpaved runway measuring 570 m x 80 m. Runway 02/20 was closed because of its surface condition.