What happened
On a repositioning flight within the Kwajalein Atoll, an aircraft was traveling from Roi-Namur Airport to the primary airport located on the southern portion of the atoll. During the takeoff roll on runway 04, the captain initiated an aborted takeoff for reasons that remain undetermined. The C-54 could not decelerate sufficiently before the end of the runway, leading to an overrun that ended in the ocean.
The impact with the water caused the left wing to break into two pieces. While the aircraft was eventually recovered from the sea, it was subsequently determined to be a total loss due to extensive damage. There were no injuries reported among the 16 occupants on board during the incident.
Findings
- The pilot elected to terminate the takeoff sequence while still on the runway.
- The aircraft failed to stop within the available runway length, resulting in a runway excursion into the sea.