The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) confirmed what was already suspected on both sides of the river.
The Cuban AN-2 that crashed in the Everglades was determined to be "substantially damaged" after flipping over while attempting an emergency landing.
The incident occurred on November 14th when the Antonov AN-2 was flying from Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport. Its direction at the time was to head to the Fort Lauderdale Executive Flight Field.
The two pilots flying the aircraft were unharmed in the incident. Incidentally, the investigation has not identified either of them so far. Both were subcontracted by a US seized goods company.
Technical glitches?
This question is being asked by many people interested in learning more about this unusual event. According to the ongoing investigation, there may have been some specific technical problem.
In the flight reconstruction, both pilots recounted what happened after takeoff. As soon as they left the airport, they noticed the plane was producing more smoke than usual. However, they decided to continue their flight until the engine began to lose power and the plane lost altitude.
That flight took place just as they were flying over a canal, delimited by a levee that crosses the Everglades. At approximately 1:30 p.m. that same day, the pilots attempted to land the AN-2 but were unable to do so.
As soon as it made contact with the water, it overturned, according to the experts in charge of the investigation. The plane did not explode, nor did it catch fire during the emergency landing.
It's noteworthy that before leaving the runway, the plane was thoroughly inspected by the pilots themselves. They toured the airport to check all established technical and mechanical parameters, but the incident revealed that not everything was working as expected.