Accident to the Sonaca 200 registered F-HGJP on 04/03/2022 at Taillefontaine

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 the statement made by the pilot seated in the right seat. This information has not been independently validated by the BEA.

1. History of the flight

In the early afternoon, two pilots decided to carry out a training flight together at Taillefontaine (Aisne) private microlight airstrip that one of them knew well.  They indicated they were both instructors.

At 14:18, the pilot in the left seat took off from Compiègne-Margny aerodrome with the second pilot as a passenger. He flew over the microlight airstrip at 14:40 to check the local conditions and observe the condition of the grass runway. He decided to join the left-hand circuit for runway 21[1].

After the pilot in the left seat had carried out two left-hand runway circuits, he handed over the controls to the pilot in the right seat during the crosswind leg of the next runway circuit. On this third circuit, the pilot in the right seat intended to perform a touch-and-go on runway 21 with a left-hand circuit.

According to the pilot in the right seat, the approach was stabilised at a speed of 60 kt in full flap configuration. He reduced the speed on short final to around 55 kt and flared with reduced engine power.  The speed decreased to around 50 kt and on touchdown, the pilot indicated he had the impression that they bounced. He stated he kept the stick in the full nose-up position to bring the aeroplane down again on the main gear without power.

The aeroplane came back down onto its nose wheel, causing the nose gear and the propeller to break. The aeroplane slid down the runway before coming to a stop on its nose 15 to 20 m further on.

After closing the fuel valve and switching off the battery, the two occupants calmly evacuated the aeroplane. They stated that they were not injured. Once outside, the two pilots visually inspected the aeroplane and found no fuel or oil leak and no other visible damage.

2. Additional information

2.1. Information on pilot in right seat

The 66-year-old pilot held an ATPL(A) licence issued in February 2006, a SEP land rating valid until March 2023 and a class 2 medical certificate with the indication VML[2] . He also held an FI(A) with night flight approval, valid until February 2023.

On the day of the accident, he had logged 11,231 flight hours, of which approximately 24 hours on the SONACA 200. He indicated that in the last 90 days he had flown 33 hours, including approximately 6 hours on F-HGJP.

The pilot indicated that the aeroplane’s take-off weight at Compiègne-Margny aerodrome was 720 kg. He added that the aeroplane was within the flight envelope, with a centre of gravity in the forward sector.

The pilot mentioned that following the accident, the chief pilot issued a memo to remind pilots that they should perform stabilised approaches and not to hesitate to go-around in case of doubt.

2.2 Information on pilot in left seat

The 77-year-old pilot held a PPL(A) licence issued in May 2002, a SEP land rating valid until March 2025 and a Class 2 medical certificate with the indications VML, TML[3] "12 months" and SSL[4] "monitored by an approved aviation medical centre". He also held an FI(A) with night flight approval, valid until July 2025.

​​​​​​​2.3. Meteorological information

The pilots indicated that they consulted the TAF and METAR messages for Beauvais-Tillé and Paris-Charles de Gaulle airports on the Météo-France AÉROWEB website. The weather conditions estimated by the pilots in the area of Taillefontaine private microlight airstrip between 13:30 and 14:00 were as follows:

• calm wind;
• CAVOK;
• temperature 12°C;
• QNH 1019 hPa.