Piper PA-23-250 accident near Mccomb, Mississippi, January 20, 1982
On January 20, 1982 at about 10:35 am local time, a Piper PA-23-250, registered N6242Y, was destroyed in an accident near Mccomb, Mississippi (Mccomb-Pike County airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 20, 1982 · about 10:35 am local time
- Place
- Mccomb, Mississippi · Mccomb-Pike County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-23-250 · all PA-23-250s on the register
- Registration
- N6242Y · no longer on the register · serial 27-3476
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
BEFORE TAKING OFF FROM JACKSON, MS, THE PILOT RECEIVED A WEATHER BRIEFING BY RADIO AND FILED AN IFR FLIGHT PLAN TO MCCOMB, MS. DURING ARRIVAL AT MCCOMB, THE WEATHER WAS IFR WITH AN INDEFINITELY OBSCURED CEILING AT ZERO FT, VISIBILITY 1/2 MILE IN FOG, WIND 160 DEGREES AT 7 KNOTS. DURING AN ILS LOCALIZER APPROACH, THE AIRCRAFT MADE CONTACT WITH TREES ABOUT 2900 FT FROM THE APPROACH END OF THE RUNWAY. THE TREES WERE ABOUT 50 TO 60 FT TALL AND THE GROUND LEVEL WAS APPROXIMATELY 400 FT MSL. THE MINIMUM DESCENT ALTITUDE (MDA) FOR THE APPROACH WAS 800 FT MSL. THE INITIAL IMPACT POINT WAS ALONG THE CENTERLINE OF THE APPROACH TO RUNWAY 15. AFTER THE INITIAL IMPACT, THE AIRCRAFT FLEW ABOUT 630 FT AND THEN CRASHED IN A WOODED AREA ABOUT 400 FT LEFT OF THE CENTERLINE OF THE APPROACH. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED NO INDICATION OF A MALFUNCTION OR FAILURE OF THE ENGINES.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,920 hours in all; 115 in this make and model; 151 in the last 90 days; 1,851 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,354 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,200 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-E4B5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Jackson MS at 3:49 am
- Destination: PTK Pontiac MI
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 15, 5,000 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 160° at 7 knots
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 151°F (66°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.