Cessna U-3A accident near Brooksville, Mississippi, December 11, 1999
On December 11, 1999 at about 9:50 pm local time, a Cessna U-3A, registered N8063X, was destroyed in an accident near Brooksville, Mississippi. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The in-flight loss of control for undetermined reasons resulting in the collision with terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 11, 1999 · about 9:50 pm local time
- Place
- Brooksville, Mississippi · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna U-3A
- Registration
- N8063X · no longer on the register · serial 38065
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight departed with full fuel tanks; witnesses along the route of flight reported hearing sputtering sounds that lasted for approximately 5 seconds, followed by the throttles being reduced and the airplane decelerating. The airplane was observed to enter a right spin and according to a pilot-rated witness, the airplane was in a right spin when he first observed the airplane; the engines were at 'full throttle.' The airplane stopped spinning after 2 spins then appeared to begin to recover from the nose low attitude. A witness immediately adjacent to the crash site reported seeing a 2 foot by 4 foot object separate from the airplane during the nose low descent. He also reported the engines sounded like they were at full throttle and the airplane appeared to pitch up just before the impact. Examination of the airframe, flight controls, engines and engine accessories, and propellers revealed no evidence of preimpact failure or malfunction. Maintenance records were not recovered. A piece of acrylic and a white plastic item were located approximately 175 yards north of the impact sight; the acrylic was not the same thickness of the windshield or cabin door window. The cabin and cargo door were impact damaged.
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: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 13,545 hours in all; 193 in the last 90 days; 91 in the last 30 days; 13,383 as pilot in command; 2,884 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 4,830 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental O-470-M (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: MOR Morristown TN at 7:35 pm
- Destination: HEZ Natchez MS
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:55 pm from GTR, 12 miles away
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.