Thanks to those posters who clarified the issue of operating the N registered Lear in Mexico on a Mexican pilot license. As for the flight being "private", that's pretty much what I expected the story to be.
I've flown extensively in Mexico under parts 91 and 135 and handed out my share of Mexican business cards (in $20, $50 and $100 denominations!) to rectify those niggling little documentation issues which always seem to arise when not using a handler. While this is widely recognized by most seasoned visitors to Mexico as being pro forma in local jurisdictions, the Federales officially frown upon such things and in fact deal with such matters rather harshly when it can be shown that they know about it. That said, it may be perfectly legal to "demo" this N registered aircraft and operate it "privately" under Mexican law as far as I know. I suppose opinions vary and I'll look forward to reading what the official Mexican government view ends up being.
There are a number of possibilities as to how the Lear came to be heading downhill in such a hurry. It's happened to other Lears before for various reasons and sometimes those reasons were never determined. I hope there's enough info to work with so that the reason for this one can be determined.
Last edited by westhawk; 15th Dec 2012 at 08:54.