Night Low Pass Over Wooded Area Ends in Collision with Tree and Pond (N62TG)

Incident Overview and Immediate Sequence of Events At approximately 2130 EDT, the aircraft collided with a tree while the pilot was conducting a low pass over a wooded area. Following the impact with the tree, the aircraft crashed into a pond. Both occupants sustained serious injuries. The source reports that the aircraft had returned from Columbia (South America) and the aircrew were preparing to drop duffel bags of cocaine. At the time of the collision, the pilot was flying while the other person was getting ready to throw out the bags. ## Official Findings and Probable Cause The official investigation identified two occurrences. The first was an in-flight collision with an object during the maneuvering phase of operation. Findings for this occurrence included: light condition - night; judgment - poor - pilot in command; overconfidence in personal ability - pilot in command; low pass - performed - pilot in command; proper altitude - not maintained - pilot in command; and object - tree(s). The second occurrence was an in-flight collision with terrain/water during the descent - uncontrolled phase of operation.