Beech D-45 accident near Poplarville, Mississippi, December 7, 1996
On December 7, 1996, a Beech D-45, registered N99065, was destroyed in an accident near Poplarville, Mississippi. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
Preview. This page is not yet listed for search engines.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the noninstrument-rated pilot's intentional operation of the airplane with known deficiencies in equipment (inoperative attitude indicator and directional gyro) with an estimated time of arrival after official twilight. Also, poor in-flight planning decision by the pilot for continuing the flight after encountering dark night conditions resulting in spatial disorientation and a loss of control. Contributing to the accident were: the insufficient standards/requirements of the operator for allowing the airplane to be flown by a noninstrument-rated pilot with inoperative attitude instruments with an estimated time of arrival after official twilight, the dark night and an inoperative attitude indicator.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 7, 1996
- Place
- Poplarville, Mississippi · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech D-45 · all D-45s on the register
- Registration
- N99065 · no longer on the register · serial BG-99
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Flight clearance was granted by the club manager (non-pilot) who was allowed by flying club regulations to do so and who had no formal training. The ETA was after the end of twilight. The pilot was not instrument rated and the attitude indicator and directional gyro instruments were inoperative; which he knew about. Flying club regulations requiring an instrument rating for night cross-country flights was previously eliminated. Regulations required IFR equipped aircraft for night cross-country flights. About 32 minutes after the end of nautical twilight while flying over an unlit sparsely populated area, the pilot experienced spatial disorientation. Radar data indicates a right descending turn. Examination of the wreckage indicates overload failure of the right wing, both horizontal stabilizers, and the vertical stabilizer. Examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of preimpact failure or malfunction. The rear seat generator failure bulb was illuminated at impact. A discrepancy of the generator was noted but witnesses observed lights from the airplane before impact and the transponder was also operating before impact.
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
- Flight time: 453 hours in all; 164 in this make and model; 24 in the last 30 days; 402 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 14,677 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 18, 1996; 83 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,985 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental O-470-4 (3) (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NQA Millington TN at 10:15 pm
- Destination: HSA Bay St Louis MS
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 210° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,500 ft; scat at 700 ft
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number MIA97FA034.