Multi-aircraft Event — Silvair Services 37AHH / ASPTT Poitiers Flying Club F-BXEU

On October 10, 2020, an Alpi Pioneer 300 microlight and a Robin DR400-140 airplane collided head-on at approximately 1,200 feet near Loches, France. The investigation is currently ongoing, and while the French BEA has released a final report, the NTSB record for this event remains at the preliminary stage. All five occupants across both aircraft were fatally injured. The collision occurred in Class G airspace while both pilots were maneuvering to overfly the Loches chateau. Following the impact, both aircraft lost portions of their left wings and crashed to the ground.

Aircraft 1

Silvair Services — Flight 37AHH

Alpi Pioneer 300 · 37AHH

Châtellerault-Targé Aerodrome (LFCA) → Châtellerault-Targé Aerodrome (LFCA)

Souls 2 · Fatal 2

Aircraft 2

ASPTT Poitiers Flying Club — Flight F-BXEU

Robin DR400-140 · F-BXEU

Poitiers-Biard Airport (LFBI) → Poitiers-Biard Airport (LFBI)

Souls 3 · Fatal 3

Phase

Cause

Total Souls

Total Fatalities

Report

Investigation Summary

The accident involved two aircraft conducting sightseeing flights over the Loire chateaux region. The Robin DR400 (F-BXEU) departed Poitiers-Biard Airport at 15:20 with a pilot and two passengers, while the Pioneer 300 (37AHH) departed Chatellerault-Targe Aerodrome at the same time with a pilot and one passenger. Radar data indicated the aircraft had previously come within 300 meters of each other near Chaumont-sur-Loire earlier in the flight. At 16:45 local time, while both were circling the Loches chateau from opposite directions, they collided nearly head-on. The Pioneer 300 was equipped with a ballistic airframe parachute which was activated during the descent, but the system failed to deploy correctly as the connecting cables ruptured or slipped under loads below their rated specifications. The Robin DR400 was not equipped with a recovery system. Both aircraft were destroyed by ground impact and a post-crash fire involving the microlight.

Video Analysis

No video analysis linked for this case file yet.

Airframe & Maintenance

Silvair Services 37AHH — Alpi Pioneer 300 · 37AHH

Airframe Hours

500

Crew Experience

Silvair Services 37AHH — Alpi Pioneer 300 · 37AHH

Pilot

Total hours

5,000

Microlight instructor and manager of the aircraft importer company.

Systems & Failure Modes

Junkers Profly Magnum 501 Parachute

A ballistic airframe recovery system installed on the Pioneer 300. Investigation found the U-bolt grips and cable loops did not meet specifications, leading to failure during deployment.

Mode S Transponder

Both aircraft were equipped with transponders allowing radar tracking, but they lacked active traffic advisory systems (TAS/TCAS) to alert the pilots of proximity.

Interesting Facts

01The collision occurred in Class G (uncontrolled) airspace.
02The Pioneer 300 airframe parachute cables failed at loads below manufacturer specifications.
03Neither aircraft was equipped with electronic collision avoidance systems.
04The sun was at an elevation of 22.6 degrees, potentially hindering the Robin pilot's vision.
05Both aircraft lost approximately half of their left wings during the mid-air impact.