What happened
During the landing phase at its home base, the aircraft overran the available runway surface and exited the paved area. After leaving the runway, the plane traveled down a 40-foot embankment, eventually coming to a stop against several trees. The impact with the terrain and vegetation resulted in substantial damage to the aircraft.
Data recovered from the flight recorders indicated that the aircraft was traveling at excessive speeds during the approach. Specifically, when the pilot deployed flaps 30 approximately 20 seconds prior to touchdown, the airspeed was roughly 27 knots above the permitted limit for that flap setting. Furthermore, at the moment of touchdown, the aircraft's speed remained approximately 14 knots higher than the recommended landing speed.
At the time of the accident, the runway featured a displaced threshold, leaving 3,097 feet of usable runway length. Evidence from skid marks shows that the aircraft began braking approximately 868 feet past the displaced threshold. These marks continued for a distance of about 2,229 feet before the aircraft departed the paved runway surface.
Findings
Investigation of the flight data suggests that excessive approach speed was a primary factor in the excursion. While the pilot noted that the approach speed felt slightly high but manageable, the recorded speeds exceeded the structural limits for flap extension and the established parameters for a safe landing.