Background
The flight was conducted under the operator's Federal Aviation Administration air carrier operating certificate (14 Code of Federal Regulations, Part 135). A passenger was onboard from the home base to a second airport, where the passenger disembarked. The pilot then departed alone for a third, uncharted, uncontrolled private airstrip with the intention of picking up a waiting passenger. The operator's Director of Operations granted special permission for this flight.
Accident Flight
Upon arriving over the airstrip, the pilot made a traffic pattern approach. Wind was calm, and the pilot reported that airspeed and approach path were approximately normal. The pilot was familiar with the airstrip, having landed there in a southerly direction on previous days. The airplane touched down near the beginning of the 1,350-foot-long grass runway. The pilot applied light to firm brake pressure, and the airplane began sliding. The south portion of the runway near its departure end was soggy, and there was a drop-off adjacent to the runway's end. To avoid the drop-off, the pilot attempted a rapid left turn. As the airplane turned, the right wing dipped down, impacted the ground, and broke.
Operational Considerations
Both the pilot and the Director of Operations acknowledged to the National Transportation Safety Board investigator that no runway condition information was ascertained prior to departure for the airstrip. The operator's General Operations Manual states that during flight preparation, the pilot-in-command is responsible for complying with 14 CFR Part 91.103, "Preflight Action," which requires becoming familiar with all available information concerning the flight. The Cessna Aircraft Company's Landing Distance Table provides guidelines for landing distances under various conditions. After the accident, the pilot calculated that on a dry grass runway, at least 897 feet were needed to stop. The table does not provide distance information for a soggy wet grass runway.