[6] On May 29, 2021, Lara died when a Cessna Citation I business jet registered to JL & GL Productions LP crashed into Percy Priest Lake near Smyrna.

[6][7][8] The cause of the accident was investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board[9] and concluded that the cause was the result of pilot error.

Reports in the immediate aftermath of the accident indicated that Lara's aviation medical certificate had expired in 2019,[9] but Aviation International News and WSMV-TV subsequently found that Lara held a valid medical certificate when the crash occurred.

[10][11] While it was initially unclear who was flying the aircraft when it crashed (also on board was a pilot who lacked the required type rating to fly the Citation),[6][12] the National Transportation Safety Board's preliminary report stated that "the pilot held a commercial pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land, multiengine land, and instrument airplane", and "The pilot held a type rating for the airplane with no restrictions.

His most recent Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) second-class medical certificate was issued on November 12, 2019, with the limitation that he "must wear corrective lenses".