Pilot Error

[Frank Benvin]

I know it not a skymaster. But you have to see this one.

http://www.glumbert.com/media/planecrash

Frank

[J.T.Grant]

Dear Sirs,
I just watched the video of the Citation Jet 2 running off the end of the runway. What a waste.
I fly the CJ1 for a living (my 336 for FUN!), and this incident can teach us all something usefull. That being that no matter how great the machine is, we as pilots can still try to do the impossible with predictable results. We must remember not to believe that the technology can always fix our mistakes or lack of skills.
In this case the aircraft landed long on a critical (IE SHORT and WET) runway. I am sure the pilot believed that the otherwise reliable power anti skid brakes would stop the aircraft as they had each time before. But physics proved that this not only would not happen this time, but COULD not.
I am paid to fly people SAFELY above all things. When we fly our aircraft we are well advised to stay safely within the true abilities of the man and the machine at all times. If things look bad they probably are and are likely to get worse. In the video all the pilot had to do was go around and try again, or better yet land elsewhere. He did not, with fully predictable results.
We all own perhaps one of the most capable light aircraft ever built, but if we push hard enough we too will be the subject of discussion, as other pilots attempt to understand why we continued on a path that lead to INCIDENT/ACCIDENT/DEATH.
Be safe , regards to all
James

[Guy Paris]

James,
I could not agree with you more in your letter. We all learn or should from others mistakes since we can not or should not try to learn from our own if at all possible. I have been flying since 1952 and still want to learn from others. What I have learned over the years it's usually never one item that get's you. I remember one in particular, on a snowy night going into CLE, it was my leg and we were dispatched with extra fuel because of the weather and the chance of going to an alternate. I was the PIC, it was a windy night and the wind favored the short runway. We had the engine heat and wing antice on. So here we are heavy (extra fuel) faster than normal (bug plus what ever for the gusts) and a short but legal runway. On short final the F/E asks if he should shut off the wing heat, I should have said no but didn't. About the that same time there was an electrical discharge/lightning strike which somewhat blinded myself and the F/O. The F/E closing the wing heat meant the bleed air going to the wings was immediate extra thrust. So there we were extra thrust=higher speed and above the glide slope and then the blinding affect of the strike. We were able to slow down and come down to the glide slope and stop on the runway, near the end I must say. If the runway was more icy or more slippery than it was the outcome would have much different.... I ended up with a injured retina. Learn from others, fly safe, guy the old B727 driver....

[Francisco]

I was curious, was ATC availabla at the airfild or UNICOM?

No pilot flying a Citacion 2 is not going to check the wind suck or is he?

[Guy Paris]

NTSB Identification: NYC05LA085.
The docket is stored in the Docket Management System (DMS). Please contact Records Management Division
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Sunday, May 15, 2005 in Atlantic City, NJ
Probable Cause Approval Date: 5/30/2006
Aircraft: Cessna 525A, registration: OY-JET
Injuries: 1 Minor, 3 Uninjured.
The pilot performed "a low pass" over the runway, and then touched down approximately 1,000 feet beyond the approach end of the 2,948-foot long runway, with a tailwind of approximately 10 knots. After touchdown, the airplane continued off the end of the runway, and subsequently impacted water. According to the Cessna 525A Landing Distance Chart, an airplane with a landing weight of 11,400 pounds required 3,000 feet of landing distance, in a no wind situation. With a 10 knot tailwind, the airplane required 3,570 feet of landing distance. The published airport diagram for the airport, was observed attached to the pilot's control column after the accident. A notation, which read, "airport closed to jet aircraft" was observed on the diagram. Additionally, the same notation, "Arpt CLOSED to jet traffic," was observed in the FAA Airport/Facility Directory. Examination of the airplane revealed no mechanical deficiencies.

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:

The pilot's improper decision to plan a flight to a runway of insufficient length, his improper in-flight decision to land on that inadequate runway with a tailwind, and his failure to obtain the proper touchdown point. A factor in the accident was the tailwind condition.

Full narrative available
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