Medical plane crashes near New Mexico, killing all four people on board

A small medical aircraft crashed in a mountain area near Ruidoso, New Mexico, shortly before dawn on May 14, killing all four people on board and triggering a wildfire in the surrounding forest, officials have stated.

By midday, the blaze had expanded to about 35 acres under dry and windy conditions, Caliber.Az reports, citing NBC.

Lincoln County Manager Jason Burns said authorities were “very concerned” about the fire and that local agencies were coordinating with the US Forest Service in efforts to contain it.

Burns stated that the cause of the crash has not yet been determined. The wreckage was found between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. Thursday in steep, rocky terrain in the Capitan Mountains, which was hard to reach, with responders hiking roughly half a mile to access the site.

The victims included flight crew and medical staff, Burns said, adding that their identities have not yet been released.

“Our hearts and prayers go out to the families, loved ones, friends and colleagues of those who lost their lives in this tragic incident,” he stressed.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the flight had departed Roswell Air Centre and was en route to Sierra Blanca Regional Airport. The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are both investigating the crash.

The aircraft, operated by Trans Aero MedEvac, was conducting a medical transport mission and was reported overdue after losing communications and radar contact, the company said.

Trans Aero MedEvac has been operating in southeastern New Mexico and west Texas since 1966.

Ruidoso, a small mountain community with fewer than 8,000 residents year-round, lies at the base of the Sierra Blanca range in south-central New Mexico. The surrounding region, including Lincoln National Forest, is largely rural and heavily forested.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov