Milwukee/General Mitchell Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report

Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53207
Friday, March 11, 2005 23:02 CST

The Part 121 scheduled domestic passenger flight received substantial damage when it veered off the left side of runway 1L during landing. The flight had departed LaGuardia International Airport en route to Milwaukee International Airport (MKE). During climbout through Flight Level 20 (20,000 feet), the No. 1 Hydraulic Low Pressure caution light illuminated. The flight crew ran the Quick Reference Handbook (QRH) checklist for the caution message. The procedures outlined in the QRH instructed the flight crew to: "Land at the nearest suitable airport." The captain informed the airline's maintenance control about the caution message, but he did not inform flight dispatch about the caution message or the need to land at the nearest suitable airport. The flight continued to its destination airport. The flight was cleared to land on runway 1L. The winds were 290 degrees at 10 knots. The captain reported that the landing was normal until the airplane started to veer off the left side of the runway. The post accident inspection of the airplane revealed no preexisting anomalies, other than the loss of the No. 1 Hydraulic system which resulted in the loss of ground spoilers. The NTSB Aircraft Performance Study indicated that the airplane approached runway 1L crossing the threshold at about 2302:16 at a recorded radio altitude of about 50 feet above ground level, with an indicated airspeed of 139 knots (about 136 knots ground speed) and a pitch angle of about 4 degrees nose down. The airplane began to drift right of centerline by about 20 feet, and touchdown occurred at a calculated distance of 2,400 feet beyond the runway threshold in a crab angle of about 5 degrees nose left relative to the ground track, and at a roll angle of about 1 degree left bank angle. The lateral load at touchdown was recorded at -0.2 G's. After touchdown, the airplane's ground track continued to drift right of centerline about 25 feet while the airplane nose remained to the left of the ground track. The airplane's ground track then began to turn left and departed off the side of the runway (veered off the runway) at about 2302:37 and approximately 4,200 feet beyond the threshold. The longitudinal acceleration from point of touchdown to when it veered off the runway was recorded between -0.12 and -0.15 G's. An investigation of airport operations revealed that airport operations did not inspect Runway 1L/19R after a pilot report (PIREP) of NIL braking action by a Beech Jet at 2018. Airport operations did not conduct or provide friction measurement reports and (Notices to Airmen) NOTAMS for Runway 1L/19R between March 10 at 1925 and the time of the accident on March 11 at 2302, when airport conditions were changing with significant snowfall accumulations. The airport did not conduct a runway inspection or friction report of Runway 1L/19R after the airplane veered off the runway.

the captain's failure to adequately compensate for the crosswind conditions, and his failure to maintain directional control during landing. Contributing factors include the captain's failure to land at the nearest suitable airport after an in-flight mechanical problem, the airport operation's failure to conduct runway friction tests and to issue NOTAMS in accordance with existing regulations, the crosswind, the snow-covered runway, the runway sign, and night conditions.