Accident to the Robin DR400 registered F-GKRD on 13/12/2022 at Lognes

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

1. History of the flight

The student pilot, alone on board, carried out seven runway circuits at Lognes aerodrome in the beginning of the afternoon. After a pause of over 30 minutes and with the instructor’s agreement, he took off for another session of solo runway circuits on runway 08R.

After the third runway circuit, he decided to stop and performed a full stop landing. While taxiing on the grass runway, he headed the DR400 towards the left side of the runway to get closer to the exits. As he ran slowly with reduced power towards the last exit in order to take it, the left wing struck the holding position S1 sign.

2. Additional information

2.1 Student pilot’s statement and experience

The 27-year-old student pilot had logged 36 hours and 50 minutes of flight, all on the DR400, of which 2 h 40 min were solo flight.

He had started his practical training in May 2022 and carried out his first solo flight on 28 August 2022. His last solo flight before the accident was on 7 December 2022.

The pilot explained that being on the left of the grass runway centreline, he could only see the edge of the S1 sign.

He indicated that he followed the tracks of a vehicle which he mistakenly believed to be the path of another aeroplane. He followed them and turned after the S1 exit, leaving the sign on his left instead of his right.

He thought that he should have stayed in the centre of the runway while taxiing so he could properly identify the exit and that a ground marking or an exit line as for the N1, N2 and N3 exits would have enabled him to avoid the accident.

2.2 Instructor’s statement

The instructor considered that the student pilot’s progression was very good and indicated that two instructors before him had also let him fly solo.

After a proficiency flight, two days before the accident, he considered that the student pilot would not have any problem in another solo flight.

As the student pilot did not appear to be tired after the pause, and considering the favourable weather conditions, the instructor indicated that he authorized him to carry out another session of solo runway circuits.

He considered that, during the landing run, the speed seemed controlled at the half-runway point.

He confirmed that after the accident he noted the tracks described by the student pilot level with the S1 exit. He added that he also saw tracks made by vehicles at different places.

He considered that a marking highlighting the edge of the sign could have enabled the student pilot to see it and that driving vehicles outside the taxiways can mislead the pilots on the route to use to clear the runway.

2.3 Safety lessons

On grass runways, a pilot can be misled by tracks from vehicles driven outside the taxiways and decide to follow them. The use of taxiways by service vehicle, whenever it is possible, could help reduce the risk of this type of accident.

May 2023