Runway Overrun at Macon Downtown Airport (N428JD)

Incident Overview and Flight Details The aircraft, owned by Dewberry, LLC and operated by The Aviation Department, was substantially damaged when it overran runway 28 during landing at Macon Downtown Airport (MAC) in Macon, Georgia. The flight departed from Charleston Air Force Base/International Airport (CHS) in Charleston, South Carolina, at approximately 0930 under an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan, despite visual meteorological conditions prevailing. The corporate flight was conducted under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91. Both airline transport pilots and one passenger sustained minor injuries in the incident. ## Approach and Landing Sequence The flight crew, who had arrived at their home base of DeKalb-Peachtree Airport (PDK) in Atlanta, Georgia, around 0400 and driven to CHS for the scheduled departure, climbed to 16,000 feet before beginning their descent into MAC. Approximately 11 miles from the airport, the crew visually acquired the airport and cancelled their IFR clearance with the Macon Radar Approach controller to proceed visually. The second-in-command activated the runway lights using the common traffic advisory frequency. However, about three seconds after activation, the precision approach path indicator (PAPI) lights turned off and would not reactivate. ## Runway Conditions and Overrun During the approach, the calculated reference speed (Vref) was 108 knots, set on both pilots' airspeed indicators. The aircraft touched down within the first 1,000 feet of the runway. As the landing roll progressed, the airplane began to hydroplane due to visible standing water on the runway, which was funneling into the middle. Maximum reverse thrust, braking, and ground spoilers were deployed, but both pilots reported a pulsation in the brake system. The aircraft departed the end of the runway into the grass, descended an embankment, crossed a road, and struck trees, hitting hard at the bottom of the embankment. ## Witness Accounts and Environmental Factors An eyewitness reported a heavy rain shower a few minutes before the landing. The witness observed the aircraft on approach, heard the engine thrust reverse, and saw the airplane engulfed in a large ball of water vapor, though they did not see it depart the runway. Another witness in a hangar on the west side of the airport heard the aircraft, observed it with reverse thrusters deployed, and watched it travel into the nearby woods after departing the runway end. The pilots reported no mechanical malfunctions prior to landing.