Accident to the Tecnam P2010 registered F-HAOF on 12/07/2023 at Le Touquet
Right wing contact with runway during landing, go-around, runway veer-off, collision with a bank
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 undertook a cross-country flight from Rouen-Vallée de Seine airport (Seine-Maritime) bound for Touquet-Côte d’Opale airport. The pilot indicated that while preparing the flight, he paid particular attention to the possible presence of a crosswind on arrival. The 13:00 METAR indicated a crosswind of up to a possible 16 kt, with gusts of 20 kt on the airport.
During the cross-country flight, the pilot updated the weather information with the 13:30 and then 14:00 METARs which confirmed the crosswind on the airport. The pilot indicated that the final approach for runway 31[1] was stable, with the wind coming from the left which he compensated for by adopting a drift correction of around 15°.
The pilot indicated that during the flare, a gust from the LH side destabilized the aeroplane. The right wing touched the runway despite the pilot’s full-left roll input. The aeroplane deviated to the right. The pilot initiated a go-around. The aeroplane collided with a grass bank, located on the RH side of the runway, where it came to a stop.
2. Additional information
2.1 Pilot information
The 49-year-old pilot held a PPL(A) obtained in 2016 and the IR/SE PBN rating obtained in 2022 and valid at the time of the accident. He had logged a total of 669 flight hours including 668 hours on type and 7 hours in the 30 days preceding the accident.
2.2 Meteorological information
The 14:00 METAR for Touquet-Côte d’Opale airport indicated the following weather conditions:
- wind from 250° of 15 kt , with gusts of 26 kt, varying in direction between 220° and 290°;
- visibility greater than 10 km;
- broken clouds based at 1,800 ft;
- temperature 19°C;
- QNH 1015 hPa.
The 13:00 METAR indicated wind from 250° of 16 kt, varying in direction between 220° and 290° and temporarily wind from 260° of 16 kt with gusts of 26 kt.
The Touquet-Côte d’Opale airport VAC indicated a restriction due to crosswind of 25 kt on a dry runway. The Tecnam P2010 flight manual indicated a maximum demonstrated crosswind component of 17 kt.
On Touquet-Côte d’Opale airport, the ATC service is provided between 09:00 and 13:30 and between 15:00 and 19:00 in the summer. There was therefore no ATC service when this accident flight landed.