No fatalities

4 Jan 2020: Beech 200 B200 — L C Whitford Co Inc — Morristown, NJ

Morristown, NJ, United States

On 4 Jan 2020, a Beech 200 B200 operated by L C Whitford Co Inc was involved in an aviation accident near Morristown, NJ. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The airplane hydroplaning while landing on a wet runway, which degraded its braking capability and resulted in a runway overrun onto grass and mud and the nose landing gear collapsing. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1778583330Data APIEditorial standards

A multi-engine airplane overran the runway during landing in fog, collapsing the nose landing gear and sustaining substantial damage. The pilot reported hydroplaning and no preaccident mechanical failures.

Incident Overview

An instrument flight rules (IFR) flight neared its conclusion when the pilot of a multi-engine airplane was given radar vectors for an instrument approach in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC). During the descent, the pilot observed an area of patchy fog over the approach end of the runway and leveled off to avoid it.

Landing and Runway Overrun

The pilot landed the airplane with approximately 3,000 feet of the nearly 6,000-foot-long runway remaining. During the landing roll, the pilot used a combination of wheel braking and the beta range of the propellers. The pilot reported feeling the airplane hydroplaning. The airplane subsequently overran the end of the runway, onto the adjacent grass and mud, collapsing the nose landing gear and impacting terrain.

Aircraft Damage

The airplane sustained substantial damage to the forward fuselage.

Pilot Statement

The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Weather Conditions

The airport's automated weather observation station reported that about the time of the accident, the wind was from 270° at 3 knots, visibility was ½ statute mile with fog, and an overcast ceiling at 300 feet. The pilot was landing on runway 23.

Contributing factors

Causes

Effect on operationAttain/maintain not possible

Other contributing factors

PilotDecision related to condition