Dassault DA-900 N814M

Summary

On 17 March 2000 at about 23:02 local time, a Dassault DA-900 registered N814M was involved in an accident near Hyannis, Massachusetts, United States. 6 people were on board. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

17 March 2000 at 23:02

Classification

Accident

Location

Hyannis, Massachusetts, United States

Nearest airport

Barnstable Municipal (HYA)

Coordinates

Not recorded

Aircraft

Dassault DA-900

Registration

N814M

Category

Airplane

Engines

3

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Executive/Corporate

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Flushing → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

IMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

NYC00FA092

Injuries not recorded.

The flightcrew's inadequate coordination and improper weather evaluation. Also causal was the captain's improper decision to continue the approach to a runway with insufficient length and his failure to obtain the proper touch down point on the runway. Factors in the accident were the tailwind conditions and the ice and snow-covered runway.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

Prior to departure, the flight crew confirmed that the 'windy, rainy and stormy' weather would move out of New York and proceed northeast up into the Hyannis area. Arriving in the Hyannis Airport area, at night, the crew received the ATIS, which stated that winds were from 040 degrees at 20 knots, gusts to 33 knots. The ILS Runway 15 approach was in use. Braking action was reported poor by a Cessna 402, and all surfaces were covered with a patchy thin layer of snow and ice. The PIC determined that the tailwind component for the ILS Runway 15 approach would have exceeded the airplane's limitations, and requested the ILS Runway 24 approach. The airplane touched down about 2,640 feet beyond the approach end of the 5,425-foot long runway. The airplane impacted the localizer antenna, departed the end of the runway, went through a chain link fence, crossed a two-lane road, struck three vehicles on the road, continued into a parking lot, and impacted concrete barriers and two parked vehicles. Examination of the airplane revealed a takeoff and landing card (TOLD) on the instrument panel. Written on the card was the landing distance calculated as 3,050 feet and a notation of 'BA POOR'. At the time of the accident the runway was covered with a 1/2-inch accumulation of ice and snow. According to the Dassault DA-900 Airplane Flight Manual (AFM) Limitations Section, the maximum allowable tailwind component at landing was 10 knots. According to the DA-900 Performance Manual, the maximum safe crosswind on icy runways was 5 knots. The manual also stated, 'For icy runway conditions, landing distance is 3 times the landing distance on dry runway.' Using the factor of 3 and a 10 knot tailwind, a landing distance was computed to be about 10,800 feet. No factors were published for a 20 knot tailwind.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.