Accident to the Robin DR400 registered F-BUHP on 17/07/2023 at Albertville

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 statements made by the student pilot and the instructor. This information has not been independently validated by the BEA.

1. History of the flight

The student pilot took off from runway 23 at Albertville aerodrome (Savoy) in order to carry out two supervised solo aerodrome circuits. He said that at the end of the first circuit, after reducing engine power and during the flare, he felt the aeroplane sink. The aeroplane then pitched nose-down, touched the ground and bounced at least twice, causing deformation to the nose gear which bent to the right and deformations to the propeller blade tips. The aeroplane veered off the right side of the runway and came to rest at a lateral distance of about 30 m from the runway.

2. Additional information

The student pilot was training for his PPL(A). He started his practical training in February 2021. He had logged around 50 flight hours including around ten hours in solo flight. All his flight hours had been carried out on the DR400, the majority on F-BUPH and a few hours on the DR400-180. His last flight was the previous week.

The student pilot indicated that the approach was stabilised. He added that there was a headwind, varying in direction, with gusts that he estimated at around 15 kt. He specified that he was not used to headwinds at Albertville aerodrome and felt that he had perhaps not taken them sufficiently into account in managing his landing.

The instructor said that he saw the aeroplane rise slightly after flaring a little late. In his opinion, it is possible that the pilot then let the stick move forward or even applied a nose-down input on the stick, resulting in an attitude conducive to bouncing.

September 2023