Beech C90A accident near Tupelo, Mississippi, September 3, 2022
On September 3, 2022 at about 3:21 pm local time, a 1987 Beech C90A, registered N342ER, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering near Tupelo, Mississippi. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under rules the NTSB did not record. No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The uncertificated pilot’s criminal act of stealing the airplane and later performing an off-airport landing that resulted in an impact with terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 3, 2022 · about 3:21 pm local time
- Place
- Tupelo, Mississippi · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech C90A, built 1987 · all C90As on the register
- Registration
- N342ER · registry record · serial LJ-1156
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · rules the NTSB did not record
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The uncertificated pilot stole the accident airplane with the intent of crashing it into a department store located 2 miles southeast of the airport. However, he continued to fly the airplane in the area for several hours until he performed an off-airport landing in a field 32 miles northwest of the departure airport that resulted in substantial damage to the airplane’s fuselage.
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
What happened, in order
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (flare/touchdown)
- Security/criminal event during prior to flight
- Security/criminal event during maneuvering defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › (general) › Not specified
- Personnel issues › Miscellaneous › Intentional act › Stolen/unauthorized › Other
Pilot
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 31 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: unk
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 10,100 lb
- Seats: 9
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: P&W Canada PT6A-60A (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: P&W Canada PT6A-60A (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TUP Tupelo MA at 7:45 am
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 30.08 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 am from TUP, 32 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on January 27, 2023. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Memorandum of Record | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 2 | Photo Log | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.