What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
On August 26, 2024, at approximately 1201 eastern standard time (EST), a 1981 Beechcraft king air, model B100, experienced a hard landing at the Jesup-Wayne County Airport (kjes) located in Jesup, Georgia. Upon touching down, the aircraft immediately veered left off the runway and came to rest down an embankment causing substantial structural damage to the landing gear, fuselage, and wings. There were six persons on board with no injuries sustained. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. This was a personal flight being conducted under the provisions of title 14 code of federal regulations part 91.
Initial assessment of the accident site revealed that the aircraft had experienced an unbalanced hard landing. This was evident by the rubber tire marks left on the runway when the aircraft had initially touched down on the left main landing gear tires, approximately ˜44 feet short of the runway threshold. Additionally, at this exact location you can see signature marks on the runway, from the left engine propeller striking the pavement. These characteristics provide evidence that the left main gear collapsed when the aircraft initially touched down on the left landing gear tires. Approximately ˜50 feet further from the initial left tire marks you can see where the right gear subsequently touched down and excessive breaking was applied, as evidence by the continuous skid marks. From this point, the right main skid marks continue for an additional ˜428 feet as the aircraft exits to the left of the runway onto the grassy area. Once the aircraft exits the runway you can see a continuous line of scrape marks and broken landing lights in its path. This is apparent by the left main landing gear and left wing being dragged as the aircraft continued for an additional ˜1000 feet, before coming to rest down an embankment in a marshy area.
An inspection of the aircraft revealed substantial damage to both wings, apparent by the crushed leading and trailing edges and buckling of the skin. These types of physical characteristics are associated with internal wing spar and stringer damage. Further examination uncovered extensive damage to both landing gear systems with structural damage at both attach points. The right gear was physically stretched aft ward, likely due to the rough terrain with the aircraft travelling at a high rate of speed. Additionally, the left landing gear down lock mechanism exhibited a clean break, which would account for the left gear collapsing on impact when the aircraft initially touched down at an excessive vertical rate of decent. The left propeller displayed bend characteristics associated with a propeller making power as it struck a hard surface. This was evident due to the propeller strike marks discovered on the runway when the left gear collapsed.
As the FAA filed it
ON AUGUST 26, 2024, AT APPROXIMATELY 1201 EASTERN STANDARD TIME (EST), A 1981 BEECHCRAFT KING AIR, MODEL B100, EXPERIENCED A HARD LANDING AT THE JESUP-WAYNE COUNTY AIRPORT (KJES) LOCATED IN JESUP, GEORGIA. UPON TOUCHING DOWN, THE AIRCRAFT IMMEDIATELY VEERED LEFT OFF THE RUNWAY AND CAME TO REST DOWN AN EMBANKMENT CAUSING SUBSTANTIAL STRUCTURAL DAMAGE TO THE LANDING GEAR, FUSELAGE, AND WINGS. THERE WERE SIX PERSONS ON BOARD WITH NO INJURIES SUSTAINED. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED, AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. THIS WAS A PERSONAL FLIGHT BEING CONDUCTED UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF TITLE 14 CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS PART 91.
INITIAL ASSESSMENT OF THE ACCIDENT SITE REVEALED THAT THE AIRCRAFT HAD EXPERIENCED AN UNBALANCED HARD LANDING. THIS WAS EVIDENT BY THE RUBBER TIRE MARKS LEFT ON THE RUNWAY WHEN THE AIRCRAFT HAD INITIALLY TOUCHED DOWN ON THE LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR TIRES, APPROXIMATELY ˜44 FEET SHORT OF THE RUNWAY THRESHOLD. ADDITIONALLY, AT THIS EXACT LOCATION YOU CAN SEE SIGNATURE MARKS ON THE RUNWAY, FROM THE LEFT ENGINE PROPELLER STRIKING THE PAVEMENT. THESE CHARACTERISTICS PROVIDE EVIDENCE THAT THE LEFT MAIN GEAR COLLAPSED WHEN THE AIRCRAFT INITIALLY TOUCHED DOWN ON THE LEFT LANDING GEAR TIRES. APPROXIMATELY ˜50 FEET FURTHER FROM THE INITIAL LEFT TIRE MARKS YOU CAN SEE WHERE THE RIGHT GEAR SUBSEQUENTLY TOUCHED DOWN AND EXCESSIVE BREAKING WAS APPLIED, AS EVIDENCE BY THE CONTINUOUS SKID MARKS. FROM THIS POINT, THE RIGHT MAIN SKID MARKS CONTINUE FOR AN ADDITIONAL ˜428 FEET AS THE AIRCRAFT EXITS TO THE LEFT OF THE RUNWAY ONTO THE GRASSY AREA. ONCE THE AIRCRAFT EXITS THE RUNWAY YOU CAN SEE A CONTINUOUS LINE OF SCRAPE MARKS AND BROKEN LANDING LIGHTS IN ITS PATH. THIS IS APPARENT BY THE LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR AND LEFT WING BEING DRAGGED AS THE AIRCRAFT CONTINUED FOR AN ADDITIONAL ˜1000 FEET, BEFORE COMING TO REST DOWN AN EMBANKMENT IN A MARSHY AREA.
AN INSPECTION OF THE AIRCRAFT REVEALED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO BOTH WINGS, APPARENT BY THE CRUSHED LEADING AND TRAILING EDGES AND BUCKLING OF THE SKIN. THESE TYPES OF PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH INTERNAL WING SPAR AND STRINGER DAMAGE. FURTHER EXAMINATION UNCOVERED EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO BOTH LANDING GEAR SYSTEMS WITH STRUCTURAL DAMAGE AT BOTH ATTACH POINTS. THE RIGHT GEAR WAS PHYSICALLY STRETCHED AFT WARD, LIKELY DUE TO THE ROUGH TERRAIN WITH THE AIRCRAFT TRAVELLING AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED. ADDITIONALLY, THE LEFT LANDING GEAR DOWN LOCK MECHANISM EXHIBITED A CLEAN BREAK, WHICH WOULD ACCOUNT FOR THE LEFT GEAR COLLAPSING ON IMPACT WHEN THE AIRCRAFT INITIALLY TOUCHED DOWN AT AN EXCESSIVE VERTICAL RATE OF DECENT. THE LEFT PROPELLER DISPLAYED BEND CHARACTERISTICS ASSOCIATED WITH A PROPELLER MAKING POWER AS IT STRUCK A HARD SURFACE. THIS WAS EVIDENT DUE TO THE PROPELLER STRIKE MARKS DISCOVERED ON THE RUNWAY WHEN THE LEFT GEAR COLLAPSED.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.