According to the NTSB report, a witness who was in a boat on the lake saw the airplane flying about 30 to 50 feet above the water into a nearby cove called Little Portuguese Canyon. "The witness heard the engine 'rev up' as the airplane drifted to the right side of the cove," the report stated. "Subsequently, the airplane pitched upward and entered a left turn, just before it traveled beyond the witness's field of view. The witness stated that he heard the sound of impact shortly after losing visual [sight] of the airplane."