Investigation Summary
The accident occurred during a scheduled domestic flight to Paris. During the stopover at Pau, the aircraft was exposed to freezing conditions and light snow, but no de-icing was performed. As the aircraft reached rotation speed, the crew observed birds near the runway, which led the captain to perform a rapid rotation at a steeper angle of attack than normal. The presence of ice on the wings, which had not been detected or removed, significantly altered the wing's aerodynamic properties, causing the aircraft to stall at an angle of attack that would normally have been safe. The resulting loss of lift led to violent oscillations, with the aircraft banking 35 degrees left, 67 degrees right, and 59 degrees left before the right main gear touched the ground. The captain's decision to abort the takeoff at 160 knots occurred after the aircraft had already reached a height of 107 feet. The Fokker 100 overran the runway, traveled 340 meters through a fence, and struck a truck on a public road, which sheared off the landing gear and resulted in the only fatality of the accident.
Final Conclusions
The Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis (BEA) concluded that the accident was caused by a loss of control due to ice contamination on the wings. This was exacerbated by the crew's insufficient consideration of weather conditions during the stopover and a rapid rotation pitch in response to birds. The investigation highlighted a lack of awareness regarding the sensitivity of small aircraft without leading-edge slats to ground icing and noted that the crew did not perform a tactile check of the wing surfaces as required by procedures in such conditions.
Video Analysis
No video analysis linked for this case file yet.
Airframe & Maintenance
Systems & Failure Modes
Wing Leading Edges
The Fokker 100 uses a 'hard' wing design without leading-edge slats or pneumatic de-icing boots. This makes the aircraft highly sensitive to ground ice contamination, as even small amounts of frost can significantly reduce lift. While the wings use thermal anti-icing (often mistranslated as 'burners' from the French 'brûleurs') in flight, this system is not typically used on the ground.
Ground De-icing Procedures
Standard procedures required a tactile check of the wing surfaces in freezing conditions, which the crew failed to perform.
Interesting Facts
- 01The aircraft was a Fokker 100 manufactured in 1991 with 28,586 airframe hours.
- 02No de-icing was carried out before the flight despite temperatures being around 0°C with snow reported.
- 03The only fatality was the driver of a truck struck by the aircraft's left main landing gear on a road outside the airport.
- 04The aircraft reached a maximum height of 107 feet before the captain aborted the takeoff.
- 05The investigation found no evidence of a bird strike despite the crew's observations.
Safety Actions & Advisories
Tactile Wing Inspection Awareness
The investigation emphasized the necessity of tactile (physical touch) inspections of wing surfaces to detect clear ice that may not be visible to the naked eye.