Cessna 500 N125DS

Summary

On 16 March 2014 at about 14:37 local time, a Cessna 500 registered N125DS, operated by JJ Aeronautics Inc, was involved in an accident near Zephyrhills, Florida, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

16 March 2014 at 14:37

Classification

Accident

Location

Zephyrhills, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

Zephyrhills Muni (ZPH)

Coordinates

28.2609, -82.1295

Aircraft

Cessna 500

Registration

N125DS

Category

Airplane

Year built

1975

Engines

2

Operator

JJ Aeronautics Inc

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Opa Locka → Zephyrhills

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA14LA159

Nobody was injured.

The pilots' inadequate in-flight planning and improper selection of runway 36 for landing, which resulted in a significant quartering tailwind during the landing, exceedance of the airplane's braking capability, and a subsequent runway overrun.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The two flight crewmembers reported that, after landing on runway 36, the pilot, who was the pilot flying, applied the brakes normally; however, the airplane did not decelerate as expected. The pilot applied the brakes a second time, and the right main landing gear tire subsequently failed. The airplane departed the end of runway 36 and came to rest in an area of unfinished gravel, which resulted in structural damage to the airframe. Examination of the 4,954-feet-long runway revealed that the airplane touched down about 1,400 feet from the approach end. Skid marks were visible for about 2,982 feet, and the tire failure occurred about 3,153 feet into the landing. Examinations revealed that the right main landing gear tire had a flat spot with a 4-inch diameter hole consistent with a locked brake. The airplane was equipped with an optional antiskid wheel braking system; however, it was disabled in 2004. The pilots reported that they decided to land on runway 36 based on the wind at flight level 180 and that they did not check the surface wind at the airport. The surface wind at the airport at the time of the accident was from 158 degrees at 15 knots gusting to 25 knots. Thus, the airplane landed with a significant quartering tailwind, which resulted in it touching down at a location and speed at which the pilots were unable to stop the airplane on the runway using normal braking.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.