What happened
A flight departing from Charleston Air Force Base/International Airport (CHS) in South Carolina arrived at Macon Downtown Airport (MAC) in Georgia under visual meteorological conditions. The aircraft, a corporate jet owned by Dewberry, LLC and operated by The Aviation Department, had previously flown to DeKalb-Peachtree Airport earlier that morning. During the approach into MAC, the flight crew cancelled their instrument flight rules clearance after visually acquiring the airport. Shortly after activating the runway and precision approach path indicator (PAPI) lights, the crew noted that the PAPI lights ceased functioning.
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 significant standing water on the runway surface. Despite the deployment of ground spoilers, maximum braking, and reverse thrust, the pilots experienced a pulsation in the braking system. The aircraft subsequently exited the end of runway 28, traveling across a grass area, down an embankment, and through a road before impacting trees. The incident resulted in 3 minor injuries involving both pilots and one passenger.
Findings
Investigations into the accident highlighted several contributing factors related to the landing on a contaminated surface. It was determined that the pilot failed to maintain the necessary airspeed, leading to an excessive touchdown speed on the wet runway. This high-speed arrival left insufficient distance to stop the aircraft before the runway end. Furthermore, the crew did not properly utilize performance charts to determine the required stopping distance for a runway with standing water and demonstrated deficiencies in crew resource management.