Orion Air

Grumman G-159 Gulfstream I

The copilot stated that when he began the approach to the destination airport, the weather condition was hazy and he delayed his descent slightly until he located the airport. When he saw the runway, he believed that they were a little too close, so he indicated to the captain that he would like to make a 360° turn. At that point, the captain assumed control of the aircraft and continued the approach to runway 04. According to witnesses, the aircraft touched down long. According to the captain, he tried several applications of the normal braking system, but got no response. He then tried the emergency brakes and asked the copilot to get on the brakes, but reported there was no braking. Subsequently the aircraft went off the end of the runway, went over an embankment and hit a fence. It came to rest on a second embankment where it exploded and burned. Tire marks with evidence of braking action were found starting 2,377 feet beyond the runway threshold. A required field length of approximately 2,600 feet was calculated for landing. No pre-impact part failure/malfunction was found. VASI lights were inoperative. Both pilots escaped with minor injuries.