I was able to catch the N-number of the downed aircraft on a local broadcast: a 1980 Piper Navajo Chieftain occupied by the pilot only. The plane, which was on an aerial photo-reconnaissance mission, went down in an upscale neighborhood and the witnesses , all of whom seemed intelligent and well-spoken, described what appeared to be a flat spin during the final moments of the accident. Both wings, two-thirds of the fuselage aft of the cockpit, and empennage were intact, though fire had consumed the forward one-third of the airframe. As evansb indicated, Wx here was cavok today.
- Ed