N85AVCessna 750 · 1999

The flight crew of the business jet reported that after touching down on runway centerline the airplane was struck by a gust of wind from the right. They were able to keep the airplane on the runway centerline but were subsequently struck by another more powerful gust, which pushed the airplane off the left side of the runway. The runway excursion resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage and left wing. A posaccident review of weather radar data showed that a severe thunderstorm (for which a tornado warning had been issued) was present to the west of the airport and was rapidly moving east. There was a convective SIGMET valid for the airport at the time of the accident. The pilot-in-command reported checking relevant weather information before the flight, that the airplane was equipped with an operational onboard weather radar system, and that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

The pilot was conducting an instrument approach for landing in night instrument meteorological conditions. After receiving the approach clearance from air traffic control, the pilot tuned his communication radio to the airport's common traffic advisory frequency (CTAF) and attempted to activate the airport lighting by repeatedly pressing the push-to-talk switch. As the pilot continued to descend on the approach, he observed the approach path indicator lights, but could not see the runway edge lights, as they were not illuminated. He again attempted to activate the runway lights, to no avail. The pilot elected to continue the approach, which he described as "high and long," and during the landing roll, the airplane ran off the end of the runway and contacted an airport sign, resulting in substantial damage to the right wing. Postaccident examination revealed that the airplane had touched down on a taxiway, and came to rest in a grassy area between the taxiway and the runway. The pilot reported there were no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies of the airplane that would have precluded normal operation, and believed he had incorrectly tuned the CTAF, which resulted in his inability to activate the airport lighting during the approach. Following the accident, a test of the airport's pilot-controlled lighting system revealed no anomalies.