Accident to the Rans Coyote S-6ELS identified 974LY on 10/10/2021 at Saint-Paul de la Réunion

During a commercial sightseeing flight in a microlight, the pilot flew around the Maïdo viewpoint, close to the terrain and at a low height, most probably to show his passenger a particular site. The pilot initiated his RH turn over the Maïdo plateau about 200 ft above the viewpoint car park. He then lost altitude during the manoeuvre and passed below the ridge as the microlight flew over the Cirque de Mafate. The pilot, who was likely preoccupied with ensuring the passenger’s satisfaction, probably paid insufficient attention to the conduct of the flight and to monitoring the path. The loss of altitude, which may have been accentuated by local aerological phenomena, thus probably escaped his situational awareness. It is likely that, during the few seconds preceding the collision, the pilot realised that he would not be able to gain enough altitude to clear the terrain. He therefore steepened the turn, but was unable to avoid collision with the cliff.