By 1 June 2021, searchers had recovered both aircraft engines, a significant portion of the
fuselage, and unidentified human remains. Authorities had named the seven victims, all of whom were leaders at the
Remnant Fellowship Church.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) deployed a lead investigator to the site on May 30, 2021, and assumed responsibility for the investigation. The Federal Aviation Administration and local authorities assisted. The NTSB also engaged
Cessna and other parties to support the investigation. Media reports identified Lara and another occupant as pilots. According to FAA certification records cited by
USA Today, Lara’s medical certificate had expired and the other man did not hold the required type rating for the Citation I. On June 1, Remnant Fellowship Church presented an apparent valid medical certificate for Lara to the FAA. The aviation medical examiner named on the certificate declined to confirm its authenticity and referred inquiries to the FAA, which stated that its medical-certificate database is current and “generally accurate” and deferred further questions to the NTSB.
Aviation International News reported that Lara held a valid medical certificate and that both pilots possessed multi-engine and instrument ratings. On 22 March 2023, the
National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determined that the cause of the accident was "the pilot's loss of airplane control during climb due to spatial disorientation." Flight tracking data revealed that after takeoff, the aircraft entered clouds at 1,300 ft (400m) and made a series of heading changes, along with several climbs and descents, before it entered a steep, descending left turn. Accelerations associated with the airplane’s increasing airspeed were likely perceived by the pilot as the airplane pitching up although it was in a continuous descent. This occurred because Lara was experiencing a type of
spatial disorientation, a somatogravic illusion, and he probably did not effectively use his instruments during takeoff and climb. As a result, Lara most likely experienced a high workload managing the flight profile, which would have had a negative effect on his performance. As such, the airplane entered a high acceleration, unusual attitude, descending left turn from which he was not able to recover. The NTSB investigation reviewed Lara's pilot training in the CE-500-type aircraft and reported that at the end of a 12-day series of training sessions at a flight school in January 2020, "the pilot did not meet the requisite performance level to attempt the CE-500 type rating check ride." Lara returned to his local instructor for more training and subsequently passed his check ride. Nonetheless, a pilot who flew in the accident aircraft with the accident pilot on several occasions judged him to be "weak" when flying in
instrument meteorological conditions. ==References==