Narrative:
The pilot reported that, during the descent for an instrument approach in instrument meteorological conditions, he saw an area of patchy fog over the approach end of the runway and leveled off to avoid the fog. He landed the airplane with about 3,000 ft of the nearly 6,000-ft-long runway remaining and felt the airplane hydroplaning while using a combination of wheel braking and the beta range of the propellers. The airplane subsequently overran the end of the runway onto grass and mud, which resulted in the nose landing gear collapsing. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the forward fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Probable Cause: The airplane hydroplaning while landing on a wet runway, which degraded its braking capability and resulted in a runway overrun onto grass and mud and the nose landing gear collapsing. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's improper decision to land the airplane until it was near the runway midpoint due to fog over the approach end of the runway.
| Status: | Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
| Date: | Saturday 4 January 2020 |
| Time: | 12:15 |
| Type: |  Beechcraft B200 King Air |
| Operator: | L.C. Whitford Co., Inc. |
| Registration: | N200HF |
| MSN: | BB-1858 |
| First flight: | 2004 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 2644 |
| Engines: | 2 Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-42 |
| Crew: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Passengers: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 8 |
| Total: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 9 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Aircraft fate: | Repaired |
| Location: | Morristown Municipal Airport, NJ (MMU) ( United States of America)
|
| Phase: | Landing (LDG) |
| Nature: | Executive |
| Departure airport: | Olean-Cattaraugus County Airport, NY (OLE/KOLE), United States of America |
| Morristown Municipal Airport, NJ (MMU/KMMU), United States of America |
The pilot reported that, during the descent for an instrument approach in instrument meteorological conditions, he saw an area of patchy fog over the approach end of the runway and leveled off to avoid the fog. He landed the airplane with about 3,000 ft of the nearly 6,000-ft-long runway remaining and felt the airplane hydroplaning while using a combination of wheel braking and the beta range of the propellers. The airplane subsequently overran the end of the runway onto grass and mud, which resulted in the nose landing gear collapsing. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the forward fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Probable Cause:
Probable Cause: The airplane hydroplaning while landing on a wet runway, which degraded its braking capability and resulted in a runway overrun onto grass and mud and the nose landing gear collapsing. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's improper decision to land the airplane until it was near the runway midpoint due to fog over the approach end of the runway.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Classification:
Runway excursion (overrun)
Sources:
» flightaware.comPhotos
Video, social media
Morristown Airport reopens after plane goes off runway https://t.co/iesdO3rgt6
SWN Intertrade (@SWNIntertrade) January 4, 2020
Map
This map shows the airport of departure and the intended destination of the flight. The line is connecting ADS-B datapoints from FlightAware.
Distance from Olean-Cattaraugus County Airport, NY to Morristown Municipal Airport, NJ as the crow flies is 364 km (227 miles).
Accident location: Approximate; accuracy within a few kilometers.
Distance from Olean-Cattaraugus County Airport, NY to Morristown Municipal Airport, NJ as the crow flies is 364 km (227 miles).
Accident location: Approximate; accuracy within a few kilometers.
This information is not presented as the Flight Safety Foundation or the Aviation Safety Network’s opinion as to the cause of the accident. It is preliminary and is based on the facts as they are known at this time.
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