Dassault-Breguet Falcon 20 accident near Pine Bluff, Arkansas, December 5, 2004
On December 5, 2004 at about 5:45 pm local time, a Dassault-Breguet Falcon 20, registered N82TN, was substantially damaged in an accident near Pine Bluff, Arkansas (Grider Field Airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's misjudgment of speed/distance which resulted in a runway overrun. Contributing factors were the moderate rain and the reported encounter with hydroplaning conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 5, 2004 · about 5:45 pm local time
- Place
- Pine Bluff, Arkansas · Grider Field Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Dassault-Breguet Falcon 20 · all Falcon 20s on the register
- Registration
- N82TN · no longer on the register · serial 384
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While landing on a 5,998-foot long wet asphalt runway, the 12,886-hour captain stated that "hydroplaning seemed to be occurring" with "no cycling of the anti-skid" system during the landing roll. Subsequently, the airplane exited the departure end of the runway into the overrun area. The FAA inspector that responded to the accident site reported that the first evidence of ground contact by the airplane was observed at a point 2,450 feet from the approach end of the runway, or roughly 3,548 feet from the departure end of the ungrooved runway. No evidence of braking action was found on the runway. The pilot reported that the weather at the time of the accident was wind from 090 at 5 knots, visibility 1.5 miles, overcast cloud layer at 500 feet, moderate rain, and pooling of water on the runway. Examination of the airplane's braking and anti-skid systems, did not revealed any anomalies. The aircraft was not equipped with thrust reversers; however, it was equipped with an emergency drag chute. The emergency drag chute was not deployed during the landing overrun.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 12,886 hours in all; 1,611 in this make and model; 100 in the last 90 days; 42 in the last 30 days; 7,399 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: March 1, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,209 hours in all; 455 in this make and model; 67 in the last 90 days; 11 in the last 30 days; 3,317 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: July 1, 2004
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 10,212.1 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, December 1, 2004; 5.1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 30,325 lb
- Seats: 12
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Garrett TPE131-5B2-2C (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: AUS Austin TX at 4:45 pm
- Destination: Pine Bluff AR
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 18, 5,998 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 110° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 1.5 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 500 ft; ovct at 500 ft
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 29.94 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from PBF
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number DFW05LA030.