Event ERA14LA159

Factual narrative

On March 16, 2014, about 1037 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 500, N125DS, was substantially damaged following a runway excursion at Zephyrhills Municipal Airport (ZPH), Zephyrhills, Florida. The airline transport pilot-rated pilot and co-pilot were not injured. The airplane was operated by JJ Aeronautics, Inc. under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Day, visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, and an instrument flight rules flight plan was filed. The flight originated at Opa Locka, Florida (OPF), about 0952. The pilots reported the following. The pilot was the flying pilot and the co-pilot was the pilot monitoring. After the landing and touchdown on runway 36, the brakes were applied normally; however, the airplane did not decelerate as expected. The brakes were applied a second time and the right main landing gear tire failed. The airplane departed the end of runway 36 and came to a stop in an area of unfinished gravel. An inspector with the Federal Aviation Administration responded to the accident site and inspected the wreckage. He reported the following. The nose gear was separated from the airplane. The right main gear tire had a flat spot and a four-inch diameter hole in the tread area. The tread was otherwise normal in appearance. There was a creased area in the pressure vessel. The airplane was equipped with an anti-skid braking system; however, it was optional equipment and was disabled in 2004. The airplane was not equipped with a cockpit voice recorder. An examination of the landing runway revealed visible skid marks that began about 1,400 feet from the approach end of runway 36, and continued for about 2,982 feet. Evidence of the tire failure was observed about 3,153 feet into the landing. Runway 36 was 4,954 feet in length. According to airport personnel, the recorded surface wind near the time of the accident was from 158 degrees at 15 knots, with gusts to 23 knots. The pilots reported that they made their landing runway determination for runway 36 based on the wind at flight level 180 and not the actual surface wind at the airport. The two flight crewmembers reported that, after landing on runway 36, the pilot, who was the pilot flying, applied the brakes normally; however, the airplane did not decelerate as expected. The pilot applied the brakes a second time, and the right main landing gear tire subsequently failed. The airplane departed the end of runway 36 and came to rest in an area of unfinished gravel, which resulted in structural damage to the airframe. Examination of the 4,954-feet-long runway revealed that the airplane touched down about 1,400 feet from the approach end. Skid marks were visible for about 2,982 feet, and the tire failure occurred about 3,153 feet into the landing. Examinations revealed that the right main landing gear tire had a flat spot with a 4-inch diameter hole consistent with a locked brake. The airplane was equipped with an optional antiskid wheel braking system; however, it was disabled in 2004. The pilots reported that they decided to land on runway 36 based on the wind at flight level 180 and that they did not check the surface wind at the airport. The surface wind at the airport at the time of the accident was from 158 degrees at 15 knots gusting to 25 knots. Thus, the airplane landed with a significant quartering tailwind, which resulted in it touching down at a location and speed at which the pilots were unable to stop the airplane on the runway using normal braking. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).

• — Aircraft-Aircraft systems-Landing gear system-Tire casing-Capability exceeded
• C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Surface speed/braking-Capability exceeded - C
• C Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Decision making/judgment-Flight crew - C
• C Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Tailwind-Effect on operation - C