What happened
On June 12, 2009, a Pilatus PC-12/47, registration N877AF, was involved in a landing accident at Igor I. Sikorsky Memorial Airport (BDR) in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The flight, operated by Alpha Flying, Inc., originated from Norwood Memorial Airport (OWD) in Massachusetts. Due to weather conditions, the crew amended their destination from White Plains, New York, to Bridgeport.
During the approach, the crew initially attempted a VOR 24 approach but performed a missed approach after failing to acquire the runway environment. They subsequently transitioned to an ILS 6 approach. The captain continued the descent with the autopilot engaged until the decision altitude of 307 feet MSL was reached, at which point the co-pilot visually acquired the runway lights and the autopilot was disconnected. The crew configured the aircraft with 30 degrees of flaps.
Upon landing, the crew noted they were "landing long," but believed they had sufficient runway to stop. The aircraft touched down approximately halfway down the 4,677-foot runway. The captain applied maximum reverse thrust and significant braking, but the aircraft began to hydroplane on the wet runway. The aircraft continued to skid and struck a metal blast fence located near the end of the runway. There were no injuries to the two pilots or five passengers.
The investigation
Investigators examined the wreckage and found substantial damage to the left wing spar, left wing leading edge, and aileron. The engine showed evidence of being at full power with the propeller in full reverse mode at the time of impact. No mechanical deficiencies were found in the engine or flight control systems.
Analysis of the landing configuration showed that while the manufacturer recommended 40 degrees of flaps for landing, the aircraft was in a 30-degree configuration. In this configuration without reverse thrust, the required landing distance is approximately 2,933 feet. Surveillance video confirmed the aircraft did not touch down within the touchdown zone markings, which are located 1,000 feet from the end of the runway.
Findings
- The crew did not perform landing distance calculations prior to or during the flight.
- The runway surface was wet, contributing to the hydroplaning event.
- The blast fence struck was a non-frangible metal structure designed to protect a nearby highway from engine blast.
- This was one of several accidents involving this specific blast fence at the airport.