Mitsubishi MU-2B-20 accident near Picayune, Mississippi, December 29, 2011
On December 29, 2011 at about 1:00 am local time, a Mitsubishi MU-2B-20, registered N800BY, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Picayune, Mississippi (Picayune Municipal Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's excessive rate of descent during the landing flare/touchdown, which resulted in a hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 29, 2011 · about 1:00 am local time · cases in 2011
- Place
- Picayune, Mississippi · Picayune Municipal Airport · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mitsubishi MU-2B-20 · all MU-2B-20s on the register
- Registration
- N800BY · registry record · serial 221
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot, the wind was calm at the time of the accident. The airplane entered the traffic pattern on a left base leg at 120 knots with the landing gear extended and flaps extended to 20 degrees. The pilot turned the airplane onto final approach, and when the runway was assured, extended the flaps to 40 degrees and confirmed the landing gear were down and locked. Upon landing, the airplane suddenly pitched nose down, and the pilot realized there was a discrepancy with the nose landing gear. He applied full thrust reverse, stopped, and secured the airplane on the runway. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the nose landing gear was collapsed, the left main landing gear tire was separated from the wheel, and the wheel assembly was separated from the landing gear. Wrinkles in the fuselage skin near the forward pressure bulkhead were noted on both sides of the airplane. Additionally, the left and right upper and lower wing spars were distorted, and the fuel tanks at the wingtips were dislodged and loose from their mountings, consistent with substantial damage. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies with the airplane, but the damage was consistent with a hard landing.
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
- Hard landing during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Descent rate › Capability exceeded
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action selection › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,749 hours in all; 387 in this make and model; 36 in the last 30 days; 6,749 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: April 21, 2011
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,996 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 4, 2011
- Maximum gross weight: 9,920 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Honeywell TPE331-1-151A (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Honeywell TPE331-1-151A (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Northshore Group LLC
The flight
- Departed from: ASD Slidell AL
- Destination: MJD Picayune MS
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 5,000 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.13 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
8 documents, released by the NTSB on July 31, 2012. 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.
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N800BY on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Mitsubishi MU-2 176 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Mitsubishi 198 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Honeywell TPE331-1-151A 27 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Engine: Honeywell TPE331-1-151A 27 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Picayune Municipal · nearest airport
- Slidell Airport · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Mississippi 845 since 1982 · 90 in the last ten years
- Mississippi 2,603 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ERA12CA128.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.