Accident to the Tecnam P2002 registered F-HOTH on 12/10/2022 at Dreux-Vernouillet

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

The pilot carried out a round trip between Dreux – Vernouillet aerodrome and EU-Mers – Le Tréport aerodrome. At Le Tréport, she carried out one touch-and-go. On her return to Dreux, the wind being light, she landed on grass runway 22[1] and then vacated the runway by taking the central taxiway. During the turn at a controlled speed, the left main landing gear collapsed.

2. Additional information

2.1 Pilot information and statement

The 20-year-old pilot held a PPL licence issued in July 2022. She had logged approximately 90 flight hours of which approximately 30 hours as pilot-in-command.

She stated that she did not make a hard landing at Le Tréport. She landed at Dreux as she did at Le Tréport, gently, without any jolt or bounce, at a speed of approximately 55 kt.

2.2  Damage information

The landing gear strut was fixed with three bolts and nuts to the aeroplane airframe. The inspection of the aeroplane conducted by the aero club showed that one nut had separated from its bolt, tearing out the thread.

Based on the BEA’s experience, the mechanical strength of the assembly was probably exceeded. The thread was probably torn out during a previous hard landing, causing the landing gear to collapse on the day of the accident.

The BEA database identifies 11 events linked to landing gear failures on the TECNAMs since 2001, including five occurrences involving failures of the main landing gear.