Accident to the Robin DR400 registered F-GTPN on 24/07/2023 at Saint-Paul-lès-Romans

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 pilot’s statement. This information has not been independently validated by the BEA.

1. History of the flight

The pilot took off from Saint-Rambert-d'Albon aerodrome (Drôme) bound for Romans - Saint-Paul aerodrome (Drôme) to ferry F-GTPN which was to undergo maintenance (100-hour inspection). The pilot flew overhead the aerodrome and then joined the circuit to land on unpaved runway 06L[1]. On final with a steep slope and high speed, the pilot continued the approach. The aeroplane touched down after the halfway point of the runway, the pilot braked hard and the aircraft veered off onto runway 06R, which adjoins runway 06L, slid across the grass, crossed the end of the runway and then a road and came to a halt in a field of miscanthus.

2. Additional information

The 73-year-old pilot held a Light Aircraft Pilot License (LAPL(A)) obtained in May 2015. The day of the accident, he had logged approximately 460 flight hours of which 340 hours as pilot-in-command, and 10 hours in the previous three months on the DR400. He held a valid class 2 medical fitness certificate with the requirement to wear corrective lenses in flight.

The pilot indicated that the speed was high when he landed, and that on the long landing he did not think to go around. He explained that he tried, unsuccessfully, to correct the path to return to runway 06L, which is slightly longer than runway 06R. He added that after the accident he noticed that the grass on the runway was wet.

The weather conditions recorded by a station located near the aerodrome were a northerly wind of 5kt and a temperature of 17°C.