What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
(.19) On January 6, 1999, about 2235 eastern standard time, a Cessna U206G, N756XQ, registered to U.S. Customs service, crashed into the biscayne bay, about 7 nautical miles east-southeast of the Homestead air reserve base, Homestead, Florida. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and flight plan was filed for the public-use training flight. The airplane was substantially damaged and the commercial-rated pilot, the sole occupant, sustained serious injuries. The flight originated about 2125, local from the Homestead air reserve base, Homestead, Florida. The flight departed for the purpose of practicing intercepts and tracking which involved the Cessna aircraft as the "target" aircraft, a Cessna citation, and a blackhawk helicopter. After completing airwork which consisted of three practice intercepts and tracking, the flight proceeded over biscayne bay and the pilot reportedly in an unplanned procedure, flew near a barge. The airplane was observed by the Cessna citation flightcrew using the forward looking infra red (flir) radar to impact the water. A liferaft was dropped to the pilot and the U.S. Coast guard responded, rescued the pilot, and transported him to a local hospital for treatment of his injuries. (.4) 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 aft er impact with the water before complete inflation of the raft.
As the FAA filed it
(.19) ON JANUARY 6, 1999, ABOUT 2235 EASTERN STANDARD TIME, A CESSNA U206G, N756XQ, REGISTERED TO U.S. CUSTOMS SERVICE, CRASHED INTO THE BISCAYNE BAY, ABOUT 7 NAUTICAL MILES EAST-SOUTHEAST OF THE HOMESTEAD AIR RESERVE BASE, HOMESTEAD, FLORIDA. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME AND FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED FOR THE PUBLIC-USE TRAINING FLIGHT. THE AIRPLANE WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED AND THE COMMERCIAL-RATED PILOT, THE SOLE OCCUPANT, SUSTAINED SERIOUS INJURIES. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED ABOUT 2125, LOCAL FROM THE HOMESTEAD AIR RESERVE BASE, HOMESTEAD, FLORIDA. THE FLIGHT DEPARTED FOR THE PURPOSE OF PRACTICING INTERCEPTS AND TRACKING WHICH INVOLVED THE CESSNA AIRCRAFT AS THE "TARGET" AIRCRAFT, A CESSNA CITATION, AND A BLACKHAWK HELICOPTER. AFTER COMPLETING AIRWORK WHICH CONSISTED OF THREE PRACTICE INTERCEPTS AND TRACKING, THE FLIGHT PROCEEDED OVER BISCAYNE BAY AND THE PILOT REPORTEDLY IN AN UNPLANNED PROCEDURE, FLEW NEAR A BARGE. THE AIRPLANE WAS OBSERVED BY THE CESSNA CITATION FLIGHTCREW USING THE FORWARD LOOKING INFRA RED (FLIR) RADAR TO IMPACT THE WATER. A LIFERAFT WAS DROPPED TO THE PILOT AND THE U.S. COAST GUARD RESPONDED, RESCUED THE PILOT, AND TRANSPORTED HIM TO A LOCAL HOSPITAL FOR TREATMENT OF HIS INJURIES. (.4) 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 AFT ER IMPACT WITH THE WATER BEFORE COMPLETE INFLATION OF THE RAFT.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.