According to Lincoln County Office of Emergency Services, the King Air aircraft was en route from Roswell to Sierra Blanca Regional Airport when communication and radar contact were lost during the early morning hours of May 14.
Source: Lincoln County, New Mexico (via Facebook)
Cover Image: Courtesy Trans Aero Medevac
A medical transport flight traveling to Sierra Blanca Regional Airport crashed Thursday morning in the Capitan Mountain area of Lincoln County, killing all four people on board and sparking a small wildfire in rugged terrain.
According to Lincoln County Office of Emergency Services, the King Air aircraft was en route from Roswell to Sierra Blanca Regional Airport when communication and radar contact were lost during the early morning hours of May 14.
Images of Beechcraft VC-6A (King Air) at the National Museum of the United States Air Force. (U.S. Air Force photo)
Emergency responders were simultaneously receiving reports of both a fire in the Capitan Mountain area and a missing aircraft, prompting a large-scale multi-agency response involving fire personnel, law enforcement, emergency management, and search-and-rescue teams from across New Mexico.
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Officials later confirmed that the aircraft had been located and that all four individuals aboard were deceased at the scene. Authorities have not yet publicly released the identities of those on board pending family notification.
The crash site fire was estimated at fewer than five acres Thursday morning, with the United States Forest Service coordinating suppression efforts alongside local and state agencies.
Among the responding organizations were Mesilla Valley Search and Rescue, Doña Ana County Search and Rescue Association, Ltd, and Organ Mountain Technical Rescue Squad, all of which reported deploying personnel to assist with search-and-recovery operations. Several agencies and first responders across southern New Mexico later shared condolences for those lost in the crash.
The National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration are involved in the investigation. New Mexico State Police is coordinating the crash investigation while New Mexico State Search and Rescue coordinated search efforts in the remote terrain.
Officials said the cause of the crash remains under investigation.
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