Jet It has grounded its fleet of HondaJets, and the grounding, according to company spokesman Akir Khan, “was in response to an incident outside of the organization in Summerville, [South Carolina], and out of [an] abundance of caution. A Jet It aircraft was not involved in this incident.”
HondaJet N255HJ, registered to Upfrunt Services in Dover, Delaware, caught fire and was destroyed after exiting the 5,000-foot runway following landing at Summerville Airport (KDYB). All five occupants were able to exit safely.
According to Flight Safety Foundation’s Aviation Safety Network (ASN), “A Honda HA-420 HondaJet landed and hydroplaned off the end of Runway 24 at Summerville Airport, striking a berm.”
The ASN database lists 25 HondaJet incidents and accidents since June 2015, none of which resulted in fatalities. Seven involved substantial damage, in addition to the destroyed HondaJet in Friday’s accident. While many of these events involved runway problems, one was the result of the use of an improper tow bar lug by ground personnel.
“We are in communication with Honda Aircraft about our concerns,” Jet It’s Khan told AIN. “We are awaiting information from Honda.”
A Honda Aircraft spokeswoman said that the company is not “able to share much information at this time. We are actively supporting the ongoing investigation with NTSB and FAA.”
The company did issue a statement about Jet It's move: "Jet It’s decision to ground their HondaJet fleet was made independently by Jet It. Importantly, neither Honda Aircraft Company nor any aviation authority has recommended this grounding. Therefore, we do not have any comments to offer at this time about the decision by Jet It to ground its fleet.
"In all closed investigations of previous runway events, investigators found no causal factors from the aircraft's design or any system malfunction. Our engineering and analysis supports our product as a safe aircraft to operate.
"Honda Aircraft Company and the rest of the HondaJet fleet will continue its normal operation. Honda Aircraft holds the safety and reliability of our aircraft as our top priorities and our dedicated team is working closely with the NTSB and FAA to determine the cause of the recent occurrence and to implement any necessary measures."
Meanwhile, the HondaJet Owners & Pilots Association (HJOPA) is planning a safety standdown due to concern about runway excursion incidents involving the Honda Aircraft HA-420 HondaJet.
HJOPA executive director Julie Hughes, in a video released on YouTube by the association, said this addresses “an important matter that concerns us all, the recent rise in incidents and accidents involving our HondaJet aircraft. So today, there have been eight in the last 12 months.”
In the HJOPA YouTube video, Hughes reminded members that “all of you are experienced pilots and while you have your own ideas involving each of these events, it's critical that we do not jump to conclusions or make unfounded assumptions. Instead, we are allowing the data to inform us about this concerning trend within our platform. This data-driven approach will guide us in taking appropriate actions to enhance the safety of each of our operations.”
With regard to the Summerville accident, the HJOPA released a statement clarifying the genesis of its planned safety standdown. "HJOPA is not suggesting a grounding of the HondaJet fleet, nor is HJOPA suggesting safety concerns with the HondaJet airframe. The prearranged voluntary safety standdown event is an information session to share experiences from an operational standpoint to enhance the safety awareness of operation."
In addition to the upcoming safety standdown, details of which will be released soon, Hughes recommended some steps that HondaJet pilots should consider in their flying, including: “Focus on flying a stabilized approach. If you're not stable, go around. Fly Vref airspeed, if you're on short final and you're too fast, go around. Also, continue to fly your aircraft off the runway until you've reached taxi speed. Get comfortable using max braking in full control authority as you're rolling out. Check your tires carefully for tread wear and/or damage before each flight. Inspect your main gear brake wear pins before each flight.”
Hughes concluded, “We must remain united in our commitment to safety. Our dedication to thorough analysis [and] collaboration with industry experts and your active involvement in the safety standdown will help us navigate through this concerning trend.”