Piper PA-32R-300 accident near Dundee, Mississippi, April 23, 1985
On April 23, 1985 at about 3:18 am local time, a Piper PA-32R-300, registered N8069C, was destroyed in an accident near Dundee, Mississippi. It was a personal 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
- April 23, 1985 · about 3:18 am local time
- Place
- Dundee, Mississippi · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32R-300 · all PA-32R-300s on the register
- Registration
- N8069C · no longer on the register · serial 32R7680077
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
PLT OBTAINED THREE PREFLIGHT WX BRIEFINGS THEN FILED IFR USING AN ASSUMED NAME. ROUTINE COMMUNICATIONS UNTIL 2117 CST WHEN PILOT REPORTED IN A CELL AND SAID HE WANTED TO MAKE A 180 DEGREE TURN. CLEARED FOR RIGHT TURN. RADAR AND COMM CONTACT WITH AIRCRAFT LOST AS PLT INITIATED TURN. WITNESSES HEARD SEVERAL LOUD ENGINES SURGES FOLLOWED BY SOUND OF IMPACT DURING INTENSE THUNDERSTORM. ACFT BROKE UP IN FLIGHT SCATTERING WRECKAGE OVER 3/4 MILE PATH. NO EVIDENCE OF PREVIOUS MATERIAL DEFECT.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 525 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,683 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 20, 1985; 4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-K1A5D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: JAN Jackson MS at 2:23 am
- Destination: GVW Grandview MO
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Sky: overcast; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.