What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
(-23) Observers saw the plane descending and they thought it was landing. Investigations showed that both engines were operating, the landing gear was up and the flaps were stowed. The aircraft had a low sink rate and contacted the ground at cruise speed or faster. The left wing broke off as the propeller blades were shred and the aircraft bounced into the air moving toward some utility lines. The right wing-tip and the right wing root were severed by the utility wires. The fuselage slid to a stop 650 feet from the first point of impact. The engines and the body of the pilot, still strapped to the seat, were futher down the 1285 foot long debris field. Incapacitation of the pilot would explain why this airplane, in a cruise configuration, was allowed to descend until it contacted the ground in a desert of NM, along the flight route from taos NM to odessa TX.
As the FAA filed it
(-23) OBSERVERS SAW THE PLANE DESCENDING AND THEY THOUGHT IT WAS LANDING. INVESTIGATIONS SHOWED THAT BOTH ENGINES WERE OPERATING, THE LANDING GEAR WAS UP AND THE FLAPS WERE STOWED. THE AIRCRAFT HAD A LOW SINK RATE AND CONTACTED THE GROUND AT CRUISE SPEED OR FASTER. THE LEFT WING BROKE OFF AS THE PROPELLER BLADES WERE SHRED AND THE AIRCRAFT BOUNCED INTO THE AIR MOVING TOWARD SOME UTILITY LINES. THE RIGHT WING-TIP AND THE RIGHT WING ROOT WERE SEVERED BY THE UTILITY WIRES. THE FUSELAGE SLID TO A STOP 650 FEET FROM THE FIRST POINT OF IMPACT. THE ENGINES AND THE BODY OF THE PILOT, STILL STRAPPED TO THE SEAT, WERE FUTHER DOWN THE 1285 FOOT LONG DEBRIS FIELD. INCAPACITATION OF THE PILOT WOULD EXPLAIN WHY THIS AIRPLANE, IN A CRUISE CONFIGURATION, WAS ALLOWED TO DESCEND UNTIL IT CONTACTED THE GROUND IN A DESERT OF NM, ALONG THE FLIGHT ROUTE FROM TAOS NM TO ODESSA TX.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.