Accident to the Robin DR400 - 140B registered F-GLDE on 25/01/2022 at Saint-Junien (Haute-Vienne)

Cat. 3 investigation report: report concerning an occurrence with limited consequences, based on one or more statements not independently validated by the BEA.

This is a courtesy translation by the BEA of the Final Report on the Safety Investigation published in March 2022. 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 club officials. This information has not been independently validated by the BEA.

1 - HISTORY OF THE FLIGHT

The student pilot took off from runway 07 at Saint-Junien aerodrome to perform solo aerodrome circuits. On rotation, at about 55 kt, when the nose gear lifted, the aeroplane suddenly veered to the left. Despite the pilot's stick and rudder pedals inputs, the aeroplane veered off the runway at an angle of 30 degrees to the runway centreline. It then collided with the fence and fell down a bank.

2 - ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
2.1 Student pilot information

The 23-year-old student pilot had logged approximately 30 flight hours on the DR400, 5 hours of which were solo. His last flight before the accident flight was a dual command flight on 22 December 2021. The previous flight was a solo flight on 19 November 2021. His other solo flights were on 11 September 2021 and 14 August 2021. The student pilot indicated that he felt he had been sufficiently recently trained.

2.2 Meteorological information

The weather conditions noted by the student pilot and the instructor during the preparation of the flight, in the Limoges aerodrome METAR were as follows: wind from 300° at 4 kt, CAVOK. The windsock confirmed that the wind was light.

2.3 Examination of site and wreckage

Marks on the runway, just before the runway exit, suggest that there had been braking inputs. The marks in the grass were wider on one side, suggesting that the pilot made a stronger right rudder input.
The examination of the aeroplane, carried out by a maintenance workshop, showed that:
- The pressure of the tyres and shock absorbers was normal;
- There was no evidence of the wheels having locked, apart from a slight surface mark on the left wheel;
- The main landing gear was complete and in good operating condition;
- The nose gear was broken. The upper part of the cam was found in position; it had ruptured at about seven centimetres from the top. The locking plate attached to the engine mount was severely bent, suggesting that the nose gear was locked.
- The rudder pedal was well adjusted and not blocked.

The aeroplane had been checked on 21 January 2022, following notification from a pilot that it deviated to the right on landing. After this inspection, three flights had been completed without any of the three pilots reporting a problem.

2.4 Statements

People on the ground reported that the aeroplane did not leave the ground.

3 - CONCLUSIONS

During the rotation, the student pilot's stick input most likely caused the nose landing gear shock absorber to extend and the landing gear to lock while the aeroplane was still on the ground. The aeroplane then veered to the left, probably due to the effect of the propeller's helical slipstream (which directs the aeroplane to the left).
The nose gear remained locked until it broke and the pilot was unable to regain control of the aeroplane.