Beech N35 accident near Mccomb, Mississippi, July 9, 1983
On July 9, 1983 at about 3:35 pm local time, a Beech N35, registered N1317Z, was destroyed in an accident near Mccomb, Mississippi. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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
- July 9, 1983 · about 3:35 pm local time
- Place
- Mccomb, Mississippi · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech N35 · all N35s on the register
- Registration
- N1317Z · no longer on the register · serial D-6751
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT CRASHED IN A NOSE LOW ATTITUDE AND WAS DESTROYED. THE TWO PLTS ABOARD HAD BEEN PRACTICING INSTRUMENT APPROACHESAT MCCOMB AND SUDDENLY WITHOUT NOTIFING FSS THE PRACTICE WAS DISCONTINUED TO RETURN TO BATON ROUGE. FSS FOUND OUT ABOUT THE CHANGE BY INITIATING A CALL TO THE ACFT. ABOUT 5 MINUTES AFTER THIS RADIO CALL GROUND WITNESSES OBSERVED THE ACFT CRASH. NO RECORDS WERE FOUND INDICATING FUELING OF THE ACFT SINCE 6/6/83 WHEN 8 GALLONS WAS ADDED. NO EVIDENCE OF FUEL WAS FOUND IN THE ACFT. THE PROPELLER DID NOT INDICATE POWER AT IMPACT. EXAMINATION OF THE THROW OVER COLUMN REVEALED IT WAS IN THE RIGHT POSITION. THE RIGHT SEAT PLT WAS A PRIVATE PLT WITH 195 TOTAL FLYING HOURS. THE LEFT SEAT PLT WAS A COMMERCIAL PILOT WITH 640 HOURS TOTAL FLIGHT TIME.
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: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 640 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,791 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 2, 1983; 5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,125 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-470-N (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BTR Baton Rouge LA at 2:22 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:46 pm from MCB, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.