Beech 200 accident near Morristown, New Jersey, January 4, 2020
On January 4, 2020 at about 5:15 pm local time, a 2004 Beech 200, registered N200HF, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Morristown, New Jersey (Morristown Muni airport). It was an executive or corporate flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 9 people were on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The airplane hydroplaning while landing on a wet runway, which degraded its braking capability and resulted in a runway overrun onto grass and mud and the nose landing gear collapsing. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's improper decision to land the airplane until it was near the runway midpoint due to fog over the approach end of the runway.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 4, 2020 · about 5:15 pm local time
- Place
- Morristown, New Jersey · Morristown Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 9 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech 200 B200, built 2004 · all 200s on the register
- Registration
- N200HF · registry record · serial BB-1858
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Executive or corporate flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that, during the descent for an instrument approach in instrument meteorological conditions, he saw an area of patchy fog over the approach end of the runway and leveled off to avoid the fog. He landed the airplane with about 3,000 ft of the nearly 6,000-ft-long runway remaining and felt the airplane hydroplaning while using a combination of wheel braking and the beta range of the propellers. The airplane subsequently overran the end of the runway onto grass and mud, which resulted in the nose landing gear collapsing. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the forward fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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
What happened, in order
- Miscellaneous/other during landing
- Attempted remediation/recovery during landing
- Runway excursion during landing defining event
- Landing gear collapse during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surface › Wet surface › Effect on operation
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Surface speed/braking › Attain/maintain not possible
- factor Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- factor Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Ceiling/visibility/precip › Fog › Decision related to condition
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 24,269 hours in all; 1,149 in this make and model; 121 in the last 90 days; 37 in the last 30 days; 24,163 as pilot in command; 10,000 on instruments
- Last flight review: November 16, 2019
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,644 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 19, 2019
- Maximum gross weight: 12,500 lb
- Seats: 10
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Pratt & Whitney PT 6A-42 (turboprop); 2,572 hours total
- Engine 2: Pratt & Whitney PT 6A-42 (turboprop); 2,643 hours total
- Operator: L C Whitford Co Inc
The flight
- Departed from: OLE Olean NY at 3:50 pm
- Destination: MMU Morristown NJ
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 23, 5,998 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 3 knots
- Sky: overcast at 300 ft
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.56 inHg
- Observation at 4:50 pm from MMU
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 8 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on April 17, 2020. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 10 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Accident Photo | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.