Incident Overview
During a landing in moderate rain and restricted visibility, an airplane overran the runway and sustained damage to its nose landing gear after encountering muddy terrain. The pilot was approaching his destination and initially prepared for an instrument approach. After descending to about 800 feet, he was able to see the runway and transitioned to a visual approach.
Approach and Landing Details
Throughout the approach, the airplane encountered moderate rain and restricted visibility. The speed during the approach was approximately 120 knots, with slight variations as configuration changes were made for descents and transitions to level flight. Upon landing, the airplane touched down hard about halfway down the 4,995-foot-long runway and bounced twice.
Runway Overrun
Once established in the landing rollout, the pilot applied full brakes and configured the propellers for full reverse thrust in an attempt to stop before the end of the runway. The pilot noted that while the runway did not have noticeable standing water, the moderate rain and wet conditions reduced braking effectiveness. The airplane continued off the runway and impacted terrain, resulting in the collapse of the nose landing gear.
Pilot Statement
The pilot was unable to recall the exact touchdown speed but estimated it was about 100 knots, which is the normal touchdown speed for that airplane. The Airplane Flying Handbook notes that hydroplaning can adversely affect ground controllability and braking efficiency, and recommends that touchdown speed be as slow as possible consistent with safety.