What happened
While conducting a repositioning mission for the US Army, an aircraft was traveling from New York toward Chambers Field NAS in Norfolk to collect troops. During the final approach phase, the flight crew experienced a failure of the primary hydraulic system. Despite this mechanical issue, the pilots maintained the approach and successfully landed the aircraft 275 feet beyond the runway threshold.
As the aircraft continued along the runway for approximately 1,400 feet, it drifted toward the left side of the pavement. The plane subsequently exited the runway and collided with an embankment, where it eventually stopped. There were no injuries reported among the five crew members on board, though the aircraft sustained damage that rendered it a total loss.
Findings
Investigations into the accident identified that the aircraft lost directional control during the landing roll. This loss of control was specifically attributed to the improper application of braking and propeller reversing. Additional contributing factors included the captain's lack of sufficient familiarity with the necessary procedures and aircraft systems following a hydraulic failure, as well as the initial cause of the primary hydraulic system failure, which remained undetermined.