Cessna 320 N320AZ

Summary

On 24 April 2011 at about 16:30 local time, a Cessna 320 registered N320AZ was involved in an accident near Lake Heron, New Mexico, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

24 April 2011 at 16:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Lake Heron, New Mexico, United States

Coordinates

36.6894, -106.6701

Aircraft

Cessna 320

Registration

N320AZ

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Prescott → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

IMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN11LA307

1 person died.

The pilot’s controlled flight into terrain while conducting a flight at low altitude in instrument meteorological conditions.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

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.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.