VFR into IMC · NTSB CEN11LA307
CESSNA 320 — Lake Heron, NM
| Date | April 24, 2011 |
| Location | Lake Heron, NM |
| Aircraft | CESSNA 320 |
| Purpose of flight | Personal |
| Conditions | Day · Instrument Meteorological Cond |
| Phase / occurrence | Other Security/criminal event |
| Pilot age | 59 |
| Pilot total time | Unknown |
| Time in type | Unknown |
| Fatalities | 1 |
Probable cause
The pilot’s controlled flight into terrain while conducting a flight at low altitude in instrument meteorological conditions.
NTSB findings
- Personnel issues-Action/decision-(general)-(general)-Pilot - C
- Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Ceiling/visibility/precip-(general)-Not specified
What happened
The airplane was on a cross-country flight. A witness, who was on a lake, reported that he heard the sound of an airplane pass low over his head. He added that the engine sound went silent and that he saw a splash of water as the airplane impacted the lake. The airplane was not recovered from the lake; however, highly fragmented parts of the airplane were recovered. Numerous packages, reportedly illegal narcotics, surfaced from the wreckage and were seized by the authorities. At the time of the accident, rain and thunderstorms were reported in the area. The accident is consistent with controlled flight into terrain, while the pilot was operating at low altitude in reduced visibility conditions.