Accident to the Robin DR400-120 registered F-HGUY on 03/04/2016 at Rennes Saint-Jacques (Île-et-Vilaine)

The solo student pilot took off from runway 10 to perform runway circuits with the authorization of the club’s instructor. In the left-hand downwind leg, he configured the aeroplane with the flaps set to the take-off position. On final approach, after correcting the approach slope at an estimated altitude of 700 ft, the pilot said that the aeroplane was stabilized with a speed of 140 km/h. The wind reported by the controller was 140° at 11 kt. At wheel touchdown, centred on the runway axis, with reduced power, the pilot felt normal contact with the runway. He added that the aeroplane bounced. On making contact with the runway again, the nose landing gear bent under the fuselage and then the main landing gear failed, piercing the wings. The aeroplane slid and came to a halt on the runway at approximately 300 m from the touchdown zone markings of runway 10.

The final approach was carried out with the flaps set to the take-off position and with an increased speed. This increase in speed by the pilot (140 km/h) to take into account the crosswind component was excessive with respect to the actual wind conditions (a maximum crosswind of 7 kt and headwind of 9 kt). Even if the excessive speed contributed to the bounce, starting the flare too high because of the different visual references linked to an upward sloping runway could also have been the cause. When the aeroplane regained height after this bounce, the pilot may have made nose-down inputs to land. It is also possible that the aeroplane stalled. The contact of the nose and then main landing gear with the runway, greater than the structural limits, led to them collapsing.