The unexpected start must be explained by specialists. The Bureau of Investigation and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety (BEA) opened an investigation after a small plane took off without the pilot on board at Nantes airport (Loire-Atlantique) on March 6, reports France Bleu Loire Océan this Wednesday March 27.
In its incident report, the BEA explains that the pilot was to depart on a local flight aboard a Robin DR-400, a small single-engine passenger plane, with a passenger at his side.
Pilot recognizes unintentional error
While he was at the controls, he was unable to start the engine. To try to remedy this, he got off the plane to shake the propeller. But it was at that moment that the plane's engine started, which made the plane move forward.
According to France Bleu Loire Océan, the tourist plane continued its journey for several meters and stopped very close to the airport landing strip. Fortunately, the incident caused no casualties and no damage. The radio claims that the pilot admitted in his report to the flying club that he had made an involuntary error. He was very scared, particularly because of the proximity of the airport runways, as well as the presence of ramp agents.
The facts were considered sufficiently important to be classified by the BEA as a “serious incident”. However, the report will not be available for several months: for comparison, the last report published by the authority dates from March 26, for an accident dating back to October 2023.