What happened
At approximately 2130 EDT, an aircraft was operating in a wooded area when it collided with a tree. The incident occurred while the pilot was conducting a low pass over the terrain. According to reports, the aircraft had recently returned from Columbia in South America.
During the flight phase leading up to the collision, the crew was reportedly preparing to drop duffel bags containing cocaine. At the moment of impact with the tree, one individual was getting ready to throw out the bags while the pilot maintained control of the aircraft. Following the strike, the plane crashed into a pond.
The investigation
The available source material does not provide specific details regarding mechanical examination or post-crash inspection findings beyond the immediate sequence of events described above.