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Another (bad) crash at Barcelonette (LFMR)

See here. I wouldn‘t be surprised if they eventually restrict this airfield. Wind plays a major role here and almost every year, there is some sort of crash on arrival/landing or takeoff/departure.

Last Edited by boscomantico at 30 Dec 14:39
Mainz (EDFZ) & Egelsbach (EDFE), Germany

Hello, didn’t publish anything because unfortunately it happens to people of our close community of pilots from Cannes.
Barcelonette will finish one day or another to be restricted but it is not so difficult, it’s a bit short, bit high, a bit round and in a close valley. What may happen is that they will only use runway 27 or nothing, and local pilots will do whatever they want (as usual).
I met the pilot 2 months ago, and knew the plane. I will wait the investigation to conclude on that because all I have are hear-say and not very good to spread.
Apparently crash site is very close to d900 road near threshold of runway 09.

Last Edited by greg_mp at 30 Dec 14:38
LFMD, France

Looks like a TB21 according to the articles posted on ASN. There is one visible on FR a while before, landing on 27. The crash site however appears to be at the other runway end, to the south slightly.

It’s amazing that anyone survived that…. the plane appears to be totally destroyed.

LSZH(work) LSZF (GA base), Switzerland

I didn’t get any new from the 3 still-alive POB but they got burnt by the post-crash fire. There is one track on Flighaware about this last flight of the n229gc, but it doesn’t give any clue on what happened as recorded track vanishes once they arrived in the mountain area.
They probably survived because the trees did slow the plane down before it hit the ground. But then fire kicked in.

Last Edited by greg_mp at 30 Dec 15:02
LFMD, France

From the tiny amounts of information available, I rather think they must have done the same thing I did, except they got airborne but were too low and flew into the trees. There is one recent report that suggests they were on 27 rather than 09 (as I was).

This is an airport that eats airplanes, and sadly also sometimes their pilots. Not just the airport itself but the surrounding terrain as people try to get into it.

It’s ironic that La Mole LFTZ, which is surrounded by flat terrain at sea level, needs special qualification, yet LFMR doesn’t despite its history.

LFMD, France

The problem with la mole is more about jets, as it was the case case until a cj3 crash landed 3 years ago I think. Now because of additional measures from DGAC, jets can’t land there if performance calculations doesn’t fit, and that’s the reason why citation can’t land but falcon can.
Anybody with a SEP can easily land in la mole if weather permits.

Last Edited by greg_mp at 30 Dec 16:14
LFMD, France

Aside from wind stated above, every year in August, one or two aircraft crash in Barcelonette (density altitude or flying low in calm days)

La Mole has nothing special, maybe challenging for jets? (slightly more than Calvi?), however, someone lobbied to get ride of pistons using “site rating”, it’s reserved for “aircraft with lot of $$$” (who cough money) and “local instructors” (who s*&#t mountain wisedom)

It’s not possible to fly to La Mole with Mountain Rating or with Mountain Instructors, you need the “local site check” & “local instructor” to sign you up, being able to land in Courcheval with MOU rating is not enough for La Mole? go figure !

Also, one can land microlights in many challenging altiports or altisurfaces without any authorisation, except La Mole that require special authorisation and currency

Last Edited by Ibra at 30 Dec 18:10
Paris/Essex, France/UK, United Kingdom

greg_mp wrote:

Now because of additional measures from DGAC, jets can’t land there if performance calculations doesn’t fit,

I thought that was always the case for all aircraft, measures from the DGAC or not!?

Or do you mean that part-CAT performance requirements now apply also for part-NCC ops at LFMR?

Last Edited by Airborne_Again at 30 Dec 19:01
ESKC (Uppsala/Sundbro), Sweden

I didn’t explained it correctly. You need to send a file to the airport operator when operating a jet in part Ncc, that has to be accepted. And since that crash I mentioned (that are due to the crew trying to land a cj3 on wet runway, too fast with rear wind and wrong landing performance calculations), citation are not allowed.

Last Edited by greg_mp at 30 Dec 20:51
LFMD, France

I’ve never been to Barcelonette so I cannot compare, but in my experience with La Mole, unless you limit yourself to fully committed 24 arrivals and to 06 departure, the site qualification is very important to safety. I wouldn’t want people to read this thread and just try their luck

EGTF, LFTF
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