Accident
On September 15, 2008, at approximately 1318 central daylight time, a United States registered Cessna 421B, N7560Q, was substantially damaged following a collision with mountainous terrain. The accident occurred about 28 miles northwest of Ojinaga, Mexico, near the border town of Presidio, Texas. The pilot and three passengers were fatally injured.
Aircraft and Personnel
The airplane was registered to EAC Parts LLC of Springfield, Ohio, and operated by Volare Air Charter of El Paso, Texas. The pilot held an air transport rating. The passengers included the United States and Mexican Commissioners of the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC) and the Executive Director for the Rio Grande Council of Governments.
Flight
The pilot departed El Paso International Airport, El Paso, Texas, and at 1016 contacted the Fort Worth Automated Flight Service Station (AFSS) approximately 15 minutes after departure. He filed a visual flight rules flight plan to Presidio, Texas. The pilot informed the AFSS specialist that he intended to enter Mexican airspace to fly over the Luis Leon Dam but had no plans to land in Mexico. He did not request a weather briefing for the flight, conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 135. However, the specialist informed him that visual flight rules were not recommended due to mountain obscuration.
The flight's purpose was to assess Rio Grande flood conditions at Presidio-Ojinaga and to coordinate joint US-Mexican efforts with local officials regarding flood control concerns resulting from recent storms and heavy inflows to the Rio Grande from reservoirs in Mexico.
Wreckage
On September 17, 2008, the wreckage was located by the Marfa Sector of the US Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Division on the west side of the Sierra Grande Mountains, at an approximate elevation of 6,500 feet mean sea level. The airplane came to rest 100-150 feet below the top of a ridgeline on a heading of 055 degrees along victor-airway V81.
A handheld Garmin 496 GPS was removed from the wreckage and sent to the NTSB's Research and Engineering Laboratory in Washington, DC, for examination and data download.
Investigation
The investigation is under the jurisdiction and control of the Government of the Republic of Mexico. Further information may be obtained from the Dirección de Investigación de Incidentes y Accidentes Aviacion, Direccion General de Aeronautica Civil (DGAC) in Mexico City.