MIA99GA064

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.

History of flight

On January 6, 1999, about 2236 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 no flight plan was filed for the public-use flight. The airplane was destroyed and the commercial-rated pilot, the sole occupant, sustained serious injuries. The flight originated about 2121 local, from the Homestead Air Reserve Base, Homestead, Florida.

The pilot stated that he had attended a mission briefing for two training exercises/flights in which he was to fly the accident airplane acting as a "target" for two different U.S. Customs Service aircraft. He later reported that he did not intend on descending below 500 feet during the training exercise except for takeoff and landing. During the mission plan for the accident flight, there was no mention of established floors during the training exercise or the mention that the accident flight would be operated near a barge. The first flight departed with full fuel tanks and lasted approximately 1 hour 15 minutes as determined by times from air traffic control (ATC). The pilot reported that he noted a discrepancy during the flight with the alternator which was surging as evidenced by a hum in the radio with each surge, and he also noticed that the panel lights would dim and brighten with each surge of the alternator. After landing, he ate and exercised. Before takeoff on the second flight, he performed a walkaround, and when he applied power to take off, he noticed that the foot needle of the altimeter was swinging 400 feet either side of the altimeter indication. The altimeter indication became steady prior to rotating for takeoff and he elected to continue the flight. He climbed to 9,000 feet where he orbited waiting for the tracking airplane (Cessna Citation) to depart from Homestead Air Reserve Base (HARB). The Cessna Citation departed at approximately 2140 as determined by ATC, and after departure, he heard the flightcrew of the Citation contact the Domestic Air Interdiction Coordination Center (DAICC), located in Riverside, California. The flightcrew of the Citation requested and performed two head-on intercepts; the final intercept consisted of a "stern" intercept. The DAICC facility vectored his aircraft for the final intercept. Following that intercept, the flightcrew of a U.S. Customs Blackhawk helicopter which departed HARB at approximately 2146 as determined by ATC, for the purpose of night vision goggle training, joined in along with the Cessna Citation. One of the flightcrew members of the Blackhawk asked the accident pilot if he was "freezing up there" to which he responded, "No, I have all the vents closed and the heater on full hot and I'm toasty warm." He further stated that prior to the inception of the apprehension portion of the training exercise, the flightcrew of the Cessna Citation advised him and the flightcrew of the Blackhawk that the apprehension would be performed at HARB. He reported hearing communications between the crew of the Blackhawk and the DAICC facility.

According to a transcription of communications from the HARB Air Traffic Control Tower (ATCT), at 2225.26, the accident pilot contacted HARB ATCT and advised the controller that his aircraft along with the Blackhawk helicopter and the Cessna Citation were going to perform a practice "buzz" scenario and that after landing, the Blackhawk would be landing to perform an enforcement type stop. The accident pilot later reported that he set his altimeter to the barometric setting provided by the controller and while flying at 500-800 feet on a northerly heading, he transited over Elliott Key. He then made a west-southwesterly turn towards a fuel barge that was departing out of the Turkey Point Power Plant (TPPP). He maneuvered his airplane towards a nearly head-on convergence with the barge; the barge was located off his left wing. After passing the fuel barge, he heard communications between the flightcrews of the Blackhawk and the Citation aircraft; the crew of the Blackhawk advised that it appeared that the accident airplane was maneuvering to simulate an air drop to a vessel. He initiated a turn to the northwest, then turned towards the southwest; the last altitude he recalled was 570 feet. He next recalled being underwater, and struggled to free himself. He swam to the surface, then towards the lights of the TPPP, and recalled being in the rotor wash of a helicopter. He held on to a partially inflated life raft that was later determined to have been dropped by a flight crewmember of the Blackhawk helicopter, was pulled into a boat, then lifted by a basket into a helicopter. He later stated that he intended to writeup the discrepancies pertaining to the alternator and altimeter following the second flight. He reported when interviewed in the hospital 4 days after the accident that there was no engine or flight control preimpact failure or malfunction.

The pilot of the Cessna Citation reported that they were tracking the 206 aircraft using Forward Looking Infra Red (FLIR) radar, and on board radar, and noted that the accident airplane appeared to fly over a barge and noted that his radar indicated that the accident airplane was flying between 200 to 300 feet. The airplane then while in a turn to the left, impacted the water first with the left wing, causing it to separate. The airplane then cartwheeled and after coming to rest, began sinking. The Citation flightcrew advised the DAICC facility that the airplane had crashed. There was no communications made by the flight crew of the Cessna Citation to the pilot of the accident airplane immediately before the accident, pertaining to the altitude flown. The on-board radar of the Cessna Citation was not recording at the time of the accident.

Review of a transcription of communications from a voice tape provided by DAICC revealed that the individual in DAICC stated that the accident airplane's altitude was 100 feet. The time of the transmission was not determined. The transcription also indicates that a flightcrew member of the Cessna Citation responded that the accident airplane was flying at 400 feet; time undetermined. There was no communications attempted by personnel from DAICC with the accident pilot immediately before the accident, pertaining to the altitude flown.

The Blackhawk helicopter was vectored to the area by the flightcrew of the Citation and after visually acquiring the debris and pilot in the water, a flightcrew member dropped a life raft from a height estimated to be greater than 35 feet. A park ranger from the United States Department of the Interior National Park Service reported that after he was notified of the airplane accident, he requested additional Park Service employees to respond, and he immediately proceeded via boat to the area or the last known point. Additionally, a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter responded to the accident site, dropped a swimmer in the water, and the Park Service employee who responded via boat, arrived in time to see the pilot being assisted by the swimmer. The pilot was lifted into the Park Service rangers' boat then hoisted into the Coast Guard helicopter where he was transported to the Jackson Memorial Hospital for treatment of his injuries.

Personnel information

The pilot's training file indicates that he was designated on October 7, 1994, to act as pilot-in-command of Cessna 206 aircraft. His last check-flight with Customs in a Cessna 206 type airplane was on December 10, 1997, which lasted a total of 4.8 hours. That flight was performed in conjunction with a surveillance flight that lasted 3.5 hours; the remainder of the flight was used for the completion of the evaluation. Additionally, the flight time tha