# Accident 20110424009159A: Cessna 320F, Heron Lake, NM, April 24, 2011

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: April 24, 2011, 10:25 local time
- Place: Heron Lake, NM
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 36.6894° N, 106.6701° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=36.6894&lon=-106.6701&mi=10
- Aircraft: N320AZ, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N320AZ-2013-04-25) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Cessna 320F (registry code 2074516, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-320f) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Continental IO-520 series (registry code 17032, https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-io-520-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA 320F
- Reported engine: CONT MOTOR IO 520 SERIES
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Private pilot
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CEN11LA307](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN11LA307) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20110424009159A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

ON APRIL 24, 2011, AT APPROXIMATELY 1625Z, ASW ROC WAS NOTIFIED OF AN AIRCRAFT CRASH INTO HERON LAKE, JUST WEST OF TIERRA AMARILLA, NM.  BASED ON RADAR TRACKING INFORMATION OF A MISSING AIRCRAFT, IT IS BELIEVED TO BE N320AZ, A CESSNA 320, S/N 320F-0027, REGISTERED TO ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.  N320AZ TOOK OFF FROM PRESCOT AZ, PILOTED BY OWNER/OPERATOR ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ WITH AN UNKNOWN DESTINATION. NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED AND IT IS UNKNOWN IF A WEATHER REPORT WAS OBTAINED.WITNESSES REPORTED THAT DURING A PERIOD OF HEAVY RAIN THEY HEARD AIRCRAFT ENGINE SPUTTERING THEN SILENCE THEN A LOUD THUD SUCH AS A LARGE OBJECT HITTING THE WATER.  THE AIRCRAFT HAS NOT BEEN FOUND THEREFORE NO POSITIVE ID HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED FOR THE AIRCRAFT PIC NOR POSSIBLE/PROBABLE CAUSE.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB CEN11LA307](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN11LA307), Apr 24, 2011: Cessna 320 (N320AZ), Lake Heron, NM, substantial damage, 1 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot’s controlled flight into terrain while conducting a flight at low altitude in instrument meteorological conditions.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

---
OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.