Cessna U206G accident near Homestead, Florida, January 7, 1999
On January 7, 1999 at about 3:36 am local time, a Cessna U206G, registered N756XQ, was destroyed in an accident near Homestead, Florida (Homestead Air Reserve airport). It was a public-use flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The intentional low altitude flight/maneuver by the pilot-in-command and his disregard of the altitude clearance with terrain resulting in the inflight collision with water during the dark night. Contributing to the accident was the lack of U.S. Customs procedures regarding the establishing of floors during training exercises at night. Findings in the accident were the pilot's intentional operation of the airplane at night during a training flight without operating the position lights contrary to U.S. Customs Service procedures, and the failure of the flightcrews tracking the airplane to notify the pilot before impact with the water.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 7, 1999 · about 3:36 am local time
- Place
- Homestead, Florida · Homestead Air Reserve · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna U206G · all U206Gs on the register
- Registration
- N756XQ · no longer on the register · serial U20604442
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Public-use flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The accident pilot received mission briefings for 2 planned training exercises; he was scheduled to fly a U.S. Customs Service (USCS) aircraft, acting as a target. There was no mention of any floor during the mission briefings and USCS did not have regulations that indicated the lowest floor to be flown during a training exercise. The first flight was uneventful lasting 1 hour 15 minutes. The second flight was flown using the same airplane. While returning to the departure airport flying over Biscayne Bay on a dark night, the airplane was flown into the water. No warning to the accident pilot was made before water impact by the flight crews and Domestic Air Interdiction Coordination Center facility tracking the airplane. The airplane was recovered and examination of the flight controls, engine, engine systems, altimeter, vertical speed indicator, pilot's restraint, or pitot static system revealed no evidence of preimpact failure or malfunction. The position lights were not illuminated at the time of the accident contrary to USCS procedures. A life raft that was dropped by a hovering USCS helicopter began inflating while descending but the inflation bottle separated after impact with the water before complete inflation of the raft.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,505 hours in all; 231 in this make and model; 41 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 1,952 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,717 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 22, 1998; 84 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HST at 2:21 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 340° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:35 am from HST, 6 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.