What happened
During the initial stages of a takeoff roll, an aircraft reached a speed of 85 knots when it encountered a bump on the runway. At this moment, the pilot reported that water accumulated on the windshield, significantly obstructing forward visibility. In response to the loss of vision, the pilot applied back pressure on the controls, causing the aircraft to become airborne.
As the flight progressed into the initial climb, the pilot lost visual contact with the right-side runway lighting. The aircraft subsequently drifted toward the left side of the departure path, striking trees before coming to a stop in shallow water located approximately 150 feet north of the end of runway 10. Following the incident, the pilot noted that the eastern portion of the runway was covered in roughly three inches of water. All four occupants managed to exit the aircraft without serious harm, sustaining only minor injuries.
Findings
Investigations into the accident revealed several critical issues regarding airport infrastructure and navigation information. The runway lighting system was found to be inadequate, as many lights were either non-functional or obscured by environmental factors; specifically, no lights in the final 1000 feet of the runway were both unobstructed and operational.
Furthermore, while the NOAA airport facility records indicated that the runway is prone to flooding following heavy rainfall, this critical information was missing from the Jeppesen airport directory being used by the crew. The investigation identified inadequate pilot preflight planning and the use of insufficient aeronautical charts as contributing factors, alongside poorly maintained airport facilities and a lack of updated NOTAMs regarding the runway's condition.