ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 133301
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| Date: | Wednesday 6 January 1999 |
| Time: | 23:36 LT |
| Type: |  Cessna U206G |
| Owner/operator: | U.s. Customs Service |
| Registration: | N756XQ |
| MSN: | U20604442 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 2717 hours |
| Engine model: | Continental IO-520F |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Homestead, FL -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Unknown |
| Nature: | Unknown |
| Departure airport: | (KHST) |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The accident pilot received mission briefings for 2 planned training exercises; he was scheduled to fly a U.S. Customs Service (USCS) aircraft, acting as a target. There was no mention of any floor during the mission briefings and USCS did not have regulations that indicated the lowest floor to be flown during a training exercise. The first flight was uneventful lasting 1 hour 15 minutes. The second flight was flown using the same airplane. While returning to the departure airport flying over Biscayne Bay on a dark night, the airplane was flown into the water. No warning to the accident pilot was made before water impact by the flight crews and Domestic Air Interdiction Coordination Center facility tracking the airplane. The airplane was recovered and examination of the flight controls, engine, engine systems, altimeter, vertical speed indicator, pilot's restraint, or pitot static system revealed no evidence of preimpact failure or malfunction. The position lights were not illuminated at the time of the accident contrary to USCS procedures. A life raft that was dropped by a hovering USCS helicopter began inflating while descending but the inflation bottle separated after impact with the water before complete inflation of the raft.
Probable Cause: The intentional low altitude flight/maneuver by the pilot-in-command and his disregard of the altitude clearance with terrain resulting in the inflight collision with water during the dark night. Contributing to the accident was the lack of U.S. Customs procedures regarding the establishing of floors during training exercises at night. Findings in the accident were the pilot's intentional operation of the airplane at night during a training flight without operating the position lights contrary to U.S. Customs Service procedures, and the failure of the flightcrews tracking the airplane to notify the pilot before impact with the water.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB MIA99GA064
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 21-Dec-2016 19:26 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 25-Nov-2017 12:47 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Cn, Operator, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 14-Dec-2017 16:54 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Cn, Operator, Departure airport, Destination airport, Narrative] |
| 08-Apr-2024 10:56 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Operator, Other fatalities, Phase, Departure airport, Source, Narrative, Category, Accident report] |
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