Approach and Landing
At dusk, with a 100-foot ceiling in fog, the captain of a Beech 1900D performed two missed approaches. On the third approach, both the captain and first officer visually acquired the runway. The first officer stated that the captain aligned the airplane with the runway centerline and requested landing flaps. As the aircraft floated at approximately 20 feet over the runway, the first officer heard the captain moving the power levers over the flight idle gate, indicated by a change in engine and propeller sound. This placed the propellers in the BETA range.
Hard Touchdown and Runway Excursion
After the propellers entered BETA range, the airplane began to sink. The captain pulled back on the control yoke. The main landing gear struck the ground and fractured during a +2.9G touchdown, which occurred approximately 2,500 feet beyond the approach end of the 5,252-foot-long runway. The airplane departed the right side of the runway about 4,700 feet beyond the approach end and came to a stop.
Flight Manual Warning
To place the throttles in BETA, it is necessary to lift the power levers over the flight idle stop. Examination of the flight manual revealed a warning: "Do not lift power levers in flight."