What happened
In the early morning hours, a Cessna Citation II, registration G-JETB, was performing a ferry flight from Oxford to Southampton. The flight was scheduled to pick up passengers for a subsequent leg to Eindhoven. Due to the early arrival, the crew had coordinated with airport authorities to land outside of standard operating hours, with the understanding that no active fire cover would be provided.
During the approach, the crew encountered deteriorating weather conditions, including heavy thunderstorms and a very wet runway. The controller informed the crew of a significant tailwind component. The pilot elected to land on runway 20 to avoid the worst of the weather at the far end of the runway. The aircraft touched down within the first 3/4 of the runway at a speed near the target threshold speed.
Upon touchdown, the pilot applied heavy braking and deployed the speedbrake. However, the aircraft failed to decelerate sufficiently on the slick surface. As the crew attempted to maintain control, the aircraft drifted toward the right edge of the runway and slid onto the grass. The aircraft continued to travel approximately 233 metres across the grass before striking an embankment adjacent to the M27 motorway. The aircraft slid down the embankment, rotating significantly, and collided with two cars traveling on the eastbound carriageway. The impact caused a fire involving the aircraft and one vehicle.
Despite the severity of the excursion, the 0 occupants on the aircraft and the occupants of the cars escaped with minor injuries.
Findings
- The aircraft was operating in heavy thunderstorms with a wet runway surface.
- The landing was performed with a fifteen knot tailwind component.
- The aircraft failed to stop within the available runway length despite heavy braking and speedbrake use.