On February 28, 1984, a Cessna 500 (registration N712US) was involved in an aviation accident near Fitchburg, MA. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's inability to stop the aircraft on a slush-covered runway, resulting in an overrun into adjacent terrain. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
An aircraft landed on a slush-covered runway but was unable to stop within the available distance. It overran the end of the pavement and came to rest in adjacent marshy terrain, with no injuries reported.
What happened
The pilot attempted to land on a runway covered with slush. The aircraft reportedly touched down approximately 450 feet from the threshold. Despite the crew's efforts to decelerate using various braking techniques, they experienced little effect. An airport manager observing the rollout noted that the aircraft appeared to be moving at high speed without apparent deceleration.
The available runway length was 4,500 feet. Calculations indicated that while the stopping distance on a dry runway would have been approximately 2,355 feet, the presence of slush increased this requirement to about 4,004 feet. The aircraft was unable to stop within the paved surface and angled off the end of the runway.
The aircraft came to rest in marshy ground located 200 feet past the departure end of the runway. There were no injuries reported among the occupants.
Probable cause
The pilot's inability to stop the aircraft on a slush-covered runway, resulting in an overrun into adjacent terrain.
