Accident to the Robin R1180 registered F-GCAU on 27/10/2022 at Saint-François

This is a courtesy translation by the BEA of the Final Report on the Safety Investigation published in January 2023. 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 pilot. This information has not been independently validated by the BEA.

1. History of the flight

On returning from a cross-country flight bound for Pointe-à-Pitre – Le Raizet aerodrome (Guadeloupe), the pilot joined the downwind leg for runway 11[1] of Saint-François aerodrome. The pilot stated that, on final, the aeroplane flight path was stabilised at 140 km/h with the flaps in the landing configuration. Shortly before touchdown, he felt downdrafts. He slightly increased power to correct the descent slope but the main landing gear rubbed the approximately 2.30 m high grass before the runway threshold. The aeroplane then sank and hit the runway with a nose-down attitude and a slight bank to the left. The aeroplane veered-off the left side of the runway and came to a stop 80 m further on.

The pilot indicated that the wind was approximately of 10 kt from 130°. He specified that the wind conditions were more or less the same at Saint-François and at Pointe-à-Pitre and that they did not evolve during his outward and return flights.

2. Additional information

The 57-year-old pilot held a private pilot licence issued in 2000. He had logged approximately
635 flight hours of which 6 hours and 30 minutes in the last 3 months. He added that he knew Saint-François aerodrome well and that he had landed there numerous times.