Ward County Irrigation District N°1

Cessna 340

On February 7, 2005, about 0634, Atlantic standard time, a Cessna 340, N5790M, registered to and operated by Ward County Irrigation District N°1, impacted with terrain in a mountainous area in Mendoza, Argentina. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and the flight plan information is unknown. The pilot and copilot received fatal injuries, and the airplane was destroyed. The flight originated from Aerodrome San Rafael (SAMR), Argentina, earlier that day, at an unspecified time. The initial notification from Argentina's Junta de Investigaciones de Accidentes de Aviacion Civil ( JIAAC) stated the airplane was on a cloud-seeding mission to prevent thunderstorms from developing in that agricultural area.