What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
Aerial observation flight crashed into lake. No mechanical desicrepancies. Consistant with stall spin accident. (.4) the flight was for the purpose of pipeline observation. Witnesses observed the aircraft climb at a steep angle with full engine power at the point pipeline personnel stated the observation of the pipeline would have been completed. The aircraft's wing and nosed then dropped and the aircraft descended and was lost from sight behind trees. The engine noise, which was still at full power, ceased suddenly followed by the sound of impact into a river. Post crash examination showed the aircraft collided with trees and then crashed into a river while descending in a nose down attitude at a slow speed. Post crash examination of the engine, airframe, and flight controls showed no evidence of pre-impact failure or malfunction. Postmortem examination and toxicology testing of specimens from the pilot and two passengers showed no findings that could be considered causal to the accident. (-23) while on an aerial observation flight, with two observers, the aircraft crashed into lake manetee near Bradenton, FL. The investigation revealed there was not any mechanical difficulties and the accident was consistent with a stall/spin accident.
As the FAA filed it
AERIAL OBSERVATION FLIGHT CRASHED INTO LAKE. NO MECHANICAL DESICREPANCIES. CONSISTANT WITH STALL SPIN ACCIDENT. (.4) THE FLIGHT WAS FOR THE PURPOSE OF PIPELINE OBSERVATION. WITNESSES OBSERVED THE AIRCRAFT CLIMB AT A STEEP ANGLE WITH FULL ENGINE POWER AT THE POINT PIPELINE PERSONNEL STATED THE OBSERVATION OF THE PIPELINE WOULD HAVE BEEN COMPLETED. THE AIRCRAFT'S WING AND NOSED THEN DROPPED AND THE AIRCRAFT DESCENDED AND WAS LOST FROM SIGHT BEHIND TREES. THE ENGINE NOISE, WHICH WAS STILL AT FULL POWER, CEASED SUDDENLY FOLLOWED BY THE SOUND OF IMPACT INTO A RIVER. POST CRASH EXAMINATION SHOWED THE AIRCRAFT COLLIDED WITH TREES AND THEN CRASHED INTO A RIVER WHILE DESCENDING IN A NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE AT A SLOW SPEED. POST CRASH EXAMINATION OF THE ENGINE, AIRFRAME, AND FLIGHT CONTROLS SHOWED NO EVIDENCE OF PRE-IMPACT FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION. POSTMORTEM EXAMINATION AND TOXICOLOGY TESTING OF SPECIMENS FROM THE PILOT AND TWO PASSENGERS SHOWED NO FINDINGS THAT COULD BE CONSIDERED CAUSAL TO THE ACCIDENT. (-23) WHILE ON AN AERIAL OBSERVATION FLIGHT, WITH TWO OBSERVERS, THE AIRCRAFT CRASHED INTO LAKE MANETEE NEAR BRADENTON, FL. THE INVESTIGATION REVEALED THERE WAS NOT ANY MECHANICAL DIFFICULTIES AND THE ACCIDENT WAS CONSISTENT WITH A STALL/SPIN ACCIDENT.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.