The final report has been released: BEA report
The crew had the time to whip out a camera and shoot a video of the bird embedded into the wing, before losing control due to the unusual handling of the aerodynamically impaired aircraft. The pictures in the report are scary.
thanks for the link Maxime_G
From the report:
Il est possible de constater sur ces prises de vue que le vent relatif qui s’engouffre dans la structure de l’aile a provoqué le gonflement de la toile constituant le revêtement de l’aile, déformant ainsi le profil de l’extrados de la voilure.
DeepL translation:
It can be seen from these shots that the relative wind flowing into the wing structure has caused the fabric covering the wing to swell, deforming the profile of the upper surface of the wing.
Not sure I can see any change in the profile. You guys see anything I don’t?
Yes the wing looks inflated, instead of ironed.
Never thought of this before but it must radically change the wing’s characteristics.
Really sad accident and all condolences to family & friends of pilots involved, I was a member of the aeroclub when this happened, one of those sad accidents that can happen to anybody…
“La fin de la vidéo montre l’avion en piqué vers le sol et en roulis à gauche jusqu’à la collision avec le sol. L’avertisseur de décrochage (4) est audible pendant les trois dernières secondes.”
I hope that video is never released.
Condolences to the affected people. I learned a new way that a bird strike can cause an accident. I was mainly worried about one coming into the windscreen and smacking me in the face.
try as I might, I still don’t see much, if at all, upper surface (extrados) change. The cloth being stitched to the ribs, clearly visible in both pictures, should (has?) help in retaining the wing’s profile.
The ribs don’t normally show through as strongly as can be seen in the after photo. I admit it is difficult to see any difference other than the bird stuck at the front🙂
Comparing both pictures i get the impression that the fabric seems to be concave (bulged inward) in relation to the ribs in the left picture as opposed to convex in the right.
Maybe that is what @Jujupilote described as inflated and will for sure change the profile.
You guys are right. It is difficult for me to tell from the pictures, but I guess the original has far better resolution.
Nevertheless the fabric stays attached (at least at the moment the picture is taken) to the ribs, and therefore profile. Makes me wonder how much the wing’s characteristics were altered. I find the report lacking details, concentrating instead in giving a course in the habits of migrating birds. Also have to cringe at the “un oiseau entre en collision avec l’aile gauche de l’avion” as in “a bird collides with the left wing of the aircraft”. Repeated a couple of times in the report. I would say they, aircraft and bird, collided.
La toile d’intrados s’est progressivement déchirée entre les nervures N6 et N7 du bord d’attaque jusqu’au longeronnet arrière (en avant des volets), sous l’action de la pression de l’air (voir Figure 5). Cet entoilage ne s’est pas désolidarisé en vol et est resté accroché à l’intrados de l’aile. Il est possible que des éléments de toile aient flotté sous l’aile et aient pu avoir des conséquences sur la portance et la traînée de l’aile gauche.
The bottom surface fabric gradually tore between ribs N6 and N7 from the leading edge to the rear spar (forward of the flaps), under the action of air pressure (see Figure 5). This fabric did not come off in flight and remained attached to the lower surface of the wing. It is possible that some of the fabric floated under the wing and may have affected the lift and drag of the left wing.
La collision a endommagé l’entoilage de l’intrados de l’aile et une partie du longeron principal. Elle a également rendu invalide la vitesse air affichée à bord.
The collision damaged the wing’s lower surface covering and part of the main spar. It also rendered the airspeed displayed on board invalid.
We will never know what really happened. Tragic, RIP guys.
The take away for me is to increase, if at all possible, my scanning of the outside world. Some birds will dive away, but many other will just sit there and “wait”.
“Inflated and deformed” were.the words used in the first part of the report but in the conclusions it did not say that.
Basically that describes the bird entering and tearing the underside of the wing as far back as the flap and damaging the longeron. It deformed the wing and affected flight. The aircraft rolled left. The least experienced student pilot was flying and as it rolled to about 45° the instructor took over. (How they came to this conclusion, I don’t know perhaps radio message) The conclusion couldn’t give a definitive answer to exactly why control could not be regained but thought it more than likely due to the loss of lift because of the tear across the intrados, the weight of the bird, and flapping material or hanging fabric which could have caused a large increase In drag.
I would point out that is just an off the cuff translation of the conclusions section of the BEA report.
