'This is NASCAR'

Hurrying—combined with a mechanical failure and poor decision making—led to a runway overrun while landing at the Ridgeland-Claude Dean Airport in Ridgeland, South Carolina.

Originating in New Smyrna Beach, Florida, the flight was planned to be no more than about 40 minutes. We don’t know whether there was time pressure placed on the crew before the flight, but the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) report mentions that a passenger inquired about the arrival time while in flight. The report stated that the pilot in command (PIC) replied, “I’ll speed up. I’ll go real fast here.”

The crew seemed to take as a challenge that there was another business jet on the frequency also heading to Ridgeland. The PIC remarked to the second in command (SIC) that “they’ll slow to 250 below 10 and we won’t.” Recall that the airspeed limit in the United States is 250 knots below 10,000 feet. On the cockpit voice recorder (CVR), the SIC remarked that the airspeed was 300 knots at 9,000 feet, perhaps indicating a bit of trepidation at the blatant violation of regulations. Apparently, however, he wasn’t swayed enough to push back on the PIC. In fact, he seemed to become a willing accomplice.

“We know what we’re doing right now, we’re trying to win a race,” the PIC continued.

“That’s right,” the SIC replied.

“This is NASCAR,” said the PIC, followed by laughter.

As the descent continued, the overspeed warning tone was captured multiple times by the CVR, at one point continuing for eight seconds.

“Goal achieved,” said the PIC in response to the warning.

“Final lap,” the SIC replied.

Continuing the hurry-up plan, the crew planned to land straight in to Runway 36 at Ridgeland because of their impression that the winds were light out of the west based on an observation from another airport. The controller informed the crew that they would be number one for the airport; the PIC passed on the news to the passengers despite sterile-cockpit rules that apply below 10,000 feet.

A high-energy scenario was unfolding as the G150 approached the 4,200-foot runway, which seemed to raised the attention of the SIC. He suggested S-turns, but the PIC refused. At 1.5 miles on final, the airplane was at 900 feet agl and indicating 170 knots, 50 knots above the landing reference speed.

“Sink rate” was announced by the airplane’s ground proximity warning system, to which the PIC replied, “we know it.” A few more “sink rate” warnings and a “pull up” sounded as the SIC called an airspeed of 150 knots. At 200 feet, the SIC said the airspeed was 130 knots and the captain replied, “Yup, slowing.” It touched down about 1,000 feet down the runway.

During the landing roll, the PIC stated, “Come on T-Rs” in reference to the deployment of the thrust reversers followed by an expletive. The airplane ran 400 feet past the end of the runway into marshy, wet terrain that partially sheared the right main landing gear and nose landing gear.

A ground observer had recorded video of the landing, providing a wealth of insight into what happened. The windsock clearly showed a quartering tailwind at times fully extended, indicating gusts to 15 knots. The video also revealed that neither the ground nor flight spoilers extended. Spoilers are critical for killing lift and getting weight on the wheels for effective braking. The NTSB report noted that most of the tire tread marks on the runway were inconsistent with heavy braking and anti-skid operation except for the last 1,000 feet of pavement. This aligns with little weight on the wheels from lack of spoilers.

Why the spoilers did not deploy automatically at touchdown is a bit of a mystery. Switches that control them were armed and if the parameters for weight on wheels and throttle position were met, they should have worked. Perhaps, if everything worked as it was supposed to, this crew may have been able to stop before the end of the runway. Clearly, however, the high-energy approach, the lack of spoilers, and tailwind assured that a successful outcome was doomed. The lack of professionalism by the crew may have doomed their careers as well.