Accident to the Robin DR400 registered F-GTPV on 10/09/2021 near Dijon-Darois

During a group cross-country excursion of one week, the degraded meteorological conditions forecast for the penultimate day altered the flight plans for the end of the excursion. Two groups decided to postpone their flight, while three others decided to take off between two precipitation fronts, despite the adverse weather forecast for visual flight en route. The weather conditions encountered by the three pilots were in line with the forecasts. Locally, they prevented the pilots from complying with minimum overflight heights or obstacle clearance margins.

The pilot of F-GTPV found himself blocked by a front of precipitation and diverted to the nearest aerodrome, Dijon-Darois. During the approach in rain showers, visibility conditions were probably poor and the ceiling low. In these conditions, the pilot did not join the aerodrome circuit in the
standard way:

• no visual reconnaissance overhead the facilities;
• joining of downwind leg on the opposite side to the published circuit at an altitude well below the runway circuit altitude, at a height of around 400 ft;
• tight aerodrome circuit at low height;
• final approach on reciprocal QFU with a tailwind component with gusts up to 15 kt.

These elements suggest that the meteorological conditions in the area of the aerodrome led the pilot to rush his approach and shorten his flight path.

The pilot probably lost control of the aircraft at a low height, around 360 m from the runway threshold, with a tailwind and in a rain shower that may have reduced visibility.