What happened
The flight departed Fort Lauderdale's Executive Airport (FXE) at approximately 1833 on a northwesterly heading toward the Pahokee VOR/airport (PHK). The flight was the second training session of the day for the two occupants in the front seats. This flight served a dual purpose: a new-hire occupant in the left seat was undergoing a pre-check ride by the instructor/PIC in the right seat, while the air taxi's director of operations observed the instructor for a potential FAA company check airman endorsement.
The aircraft was operating under visual meteorological conditions (VMC) and was not in contact with any air traffic control facility, using a transponder code consistent with non-controlled flight. At 1902, Miami ARTCC lost radar contact with the aircraft at the 334 degree radial/12 nmi from the PHK VOR at an altitude of 1,300 feet agl.
Eight days later, the wreckage and its 3 occupants were located and recovered from a lake bottom. The recovery site roughly corresponds with the radial of the PHK VOR required for a VOR Runway 17 approach.
The investigation
The investigation of the wreckage revealed that the aircraft was largely intact, with the exception of the nose cone, two nacelle doors, and the left propeller. There was no evidence of engine, airframe, or component failure, nor was there any evidence of a bird strike. Evidence indicated that both engines were producing power and the airplane maintained a wings-level attitude in an approach configuration at the time of water contact.