Incident Overview
On March 16, 2014, at approximately 1037 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 500, registration N125DS, was substantially damaged during a runway excursion at Zephyrhills Municipal Airport (ZPH) in Zephyrhills, Florida. The flight was operated by JJ Aeronautics, Inc. under 14 CFR Part 91 as a personal flight. Both the airline transport pilot-rated pilot and co-pilot were not injured.
Flight Details
The flight departed Opa Locka, Florida (OPF) at 0952. Day, visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and an instrument flight rules flight plan was filed. The pilots reported that after touchdown on runway 36, the brakes were applied normally but the airplane did not decelerate as expected. A second brake application caused the right main landing gear tire to fail. The airplane subsequently departed the end of runway 36 and came to a stop in an area of unfinished gravel.
Aircraft Examination
An inspector from the Federal Aviation Administration examined the wreckage. The nose landing gear was separated from the airframe. The right main gear tire exhibited a flat spot and a four-inch diameter hole in the tread area; the remainder of the tread appeared normal. A creased area was noted in the pressure vessel. The airplane was equipped with an anti-skid braking system, but it was optional equipment and had been disabled in 2004. No cockpit voice recorder was installed.
Runway Evidence
Examination of the landing runway revealed visible skid marks beginning approximately 1,400 feet from the approach end of runway 36 and continuing for about 2,982 feet. Evidence of the tire failure was observed about 3,153 feet into the landing. Runway 36 has a published length of 4,954 feet.
Wind Conditions
Airport personnel reported that the recorded surface wind near the time of the accident was from 158 degrees at 15 knots, with gusts to 23 knots. The pilots indicated that they based their decision to land on runway 36 on wind readings at flight level 180, rather than on the actual surface wind at the airport.