Accident to the Robin DR400 registered F-GGXU on 04/02/2023 at Gaillac-Lisle-sur-Tarn

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

1. History of the flight

The instructor and student pilot took off at around 17:00 from Toulouse-Lasbordes aerodrome (Haute-Garonne), where the aeroplane was based. The aim of the flight was to practice the reconnaissance and joining of an aerodrome circuit at Gaillac-Lisle-sur-Tarn aerodrome. They also wanted to carry out a few aerodrome circuits.

After a flight time of about twenty minutes, they began the reconnaissance phase. There was a westerly wind of 10 kt. An aeroplane was already in the circuit for a landing on runway 25. They carried out a runway circuit followed by a touch-and-go on runway 25. During the initial climb, the instructor announced that they were joining the downwind leg at low height.

At around 17:30, after the second touchdown, the student pilot increased power for another take-off. During the take-off run phase, the instructor reconfigured the aircraft. As the aeroplane rotated, they perceived a significant impact on the nose section. This impact was accompanied by a loud noise that could be heard despite the use of headsets.

During the initial climb, the instructor told the student pilot that he was taking the controls. He quickly noticed that the aircraft was asymmetric. He had to press hard on the right rudder pedal to maintain the symmetry of the flight.

The instructor asked by radio if someone on the ground could examine the landing gear, but no one replied. He then made a low pass over the taxiway to attract the attention of witnesses on the ground. They observed that the nose gear strut was bent backwards at an angle of around 30°, but were unable to contact the pilot before he landed.

Convinced that the nose gear was bent, and fearing that the situation would deteriorate if the engine mount was damaged, the instructor decided to land at Gaillac aerodrome, which is not so busy as Toulouse at the end of the day.

He chose to land on the right-hand side of the runway so as to have maximum clearance on the left side when the nose gear touched down. He anticipated the aeroplane veering to the left. On short final, he switched off the battery and the alternator and unlocked the canopy.

After the flare, the instructor kept the aeroplane on the main gear for as long as the pitch authority allowed. When the nose gear touched the ground, the aeroplane's path deviated to the left. The instructor pulled the mixture control. At low speed, the nose gear collapsed.

Hairs were found on the ground where the impact had taken place, as well as on the nose gear.

The instructor indicated that neither he nor the student pilot had detected the presence of an animal during the take-off run. They added that the sun, facing them and low on the horizon, could have been a hindrance[1].