Beechcraft 400 N428JD
18 September 2012 · Macon, Georgia, United States · Minor injuries
Summary
On 18 September 2012 at about 14:03 local time, a Beechcraft 400 registered N428JD, operated by Dewberry Air LLC, was involved in an accident near Macon, Georgia, United States. 3 people were on board and 2 had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 14:03
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Macon, Georgia, United States
- Nearest airport
- Macon Downtown Airport (MAC)
- Coordinates
- 32.8247, -83.5719
- Aircraft
- Beechcraft 400
- Registration
- N428JD
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- Dewberry Air LLC
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Executive/Corporate
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Charleston → Macon
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- ERA12FA567
People
2 people had minor injuries.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
Probable cause
The pilot’s failure to maintain proper airspeed, which resulted in the airplane touching down too fast on the wet runway with inadequate runway remaining to stop and a subsequent runway overrun. Contributing to the landing overrun were the flight crewmembers’ failure to correctly use the appropriate performance chart to calculate the runway required to stop on a contaminated runway and their general lack of proper crew resource management.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot was seated in the left seat and was the flying pilot. The pilots reported that prior to departure, there were no known mechanical malfunctions or abnormalities with the airplane, including the brakes, flaps, anti-skid, or thrust reversers. The copilot, who was the pilot monitoring, calculated a Vref speed of 108 knots for the landing weight. Postaccident analysis determined that a more precise Vref based on weight would have been 110 knots. Both pilots reported that they set their airspeed index bugs to 108 knots about 11 miles from the airport. The pilot reported that the airplane touched down about 1,000 feet from the approach end of the runway. Both crewmembers reported that, although they used maximum thrust reversers, brakes, and ground spoilers, they could feel a "pulsation" in the brake system and that the airplane hydroplaned. The airplane overran the wet runway with standing water and came to rest 283 feet beyond the paved portion of the runway in a treed area off the airport. Postaccident examination of the airspeed index bugs revealed that the pilot's was set to 115 knots and that the copilot's was set to 105 knots, which correlated with their calculated and reported V1 and V2 departure speeds. It is likely that they did not move the airspeed bugs during the approach to landing. Postaccident testing of the brake system components did not reveal any mechanical malfunctions or abnormalities that would have precluded normal operation. Based on radar data, the airplane was likely 15 to 19 knots above the reference speed of 110 knots when it crossed the runway threshold. The data further revealed that the approach was flown with about a 4-degree glideslope approach angle instead of the recommended 3-degree glideslope angle. The pilots reported that the precision approach path indicator lights, which would have provided an approximate 3-degree approach, became inoperable shortly after activation. Although the touchdown location could not be accurately determined, given the approximate glideslope and the excessive speed, the airplane likely floated before touching down. It is also likely that the pilots, familiar with landing at their home airport, which is configured with a grooved runway that mitigates wet runway conditions more effectively, relied on their past wet runway experience and failed to calculate their landing distance using the appropriate performance chart for the contaminated runway. Based on the airplane's performance charts, on a contaminated runway, an airplane with a Vref of 110 knots would need a 4,800-foot runway; at Vref + 10 knots, the airplane would need 6,100 feet to land. The runway was 4,694 feet long. Hence, the lack of a clear understanding of the actual wet runway landing distance necessary to stop and the excessive approach speed resulted in the airplane crossing the approach end of the runway at a speed and flight profile unsuitable for the wet runway condition and without sufficient distance available to stop. Further, the pilots exhibited poor crew resource management by not using the appropriate chart for the contaminated runway, not recognizing the runway was too short based on the conditions, failing to reset their airspeed bugs before the approach, and not recognizing and addressing the excess approach speed.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Beechcraft 400 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 Jun 2012 | Beechcraft 400A | Atlanta, Georgia, United States | N79TE LLC | Serious injuries | - |
| 13 Apr 2011 | Beechcraft 400 | Midland, Texas, United States | United States Air Force | Unknown | - |
| 13 Mar 2014 | Beechcraft 400A | Rochester, New York, United States | Guardian Pharmacy LLC | No injuries | - |
| 13 May 2014 | Beechcraft 400A | Sugar Land, Texas, United States | Georgia Jet | No injuries | - |
| 14 Mar 2016 | Beechcraft 400A | Rome, Georgia, United States | Flight Options LLC | Minor injuries | - |
| 5 Feb 2018 | Beechcraft 400A | Cleveland, Ohio, United States | Travel Management, Inc | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 Feb 2012 | Piper PA-32R-300 | Swainsboro, Georgia, United States | Ronnie Osburn | No injuries | - |
| 12 May 2012 | Beechcraft B90 | Savannah, Georgia, United States | Riddell Enterprises | No injuries | - |
| 18 Aug 2012 | McLeod Alan FW-190 1/2 SCALE | Columbus, Georgia, United States | George A. Wade | Fatal | 1 |
| 25 Feb 2012 | Piper PA-36-300 | Americus, Georgia, United States | Souther Field Aviation Inc | No injuries | - |
| 26 Sep 2012 | Cessna 208B | Statesboro, Georgia, United States | DST, LLC | No injuries | - |
| 8 Jun 2012 | Bowen Christopher W DOGBEE | Wrens, Georgia, United States | Bowen Christopher W | Fatal | 1 |